The Tail Of A Lifetime
by AMSweets
Summary: Hermione Granger loves books, her parents, and her friends. However, things get a lot more complicated once love gets involved and she finds herself completely wrapped around Draco Malfoy's devilish finger. A lengthy tale of loneliness, love, and an unlikely family that was never meant to be. Criticism is greatly appreciated! Comments, feedback, plot advice... I'm up for anything!
1. A Big Lunch

"This place is positively unruly..."

"It's not that bad, and besides if I had known I was going to have company at 4 am then I would've cleaned first."

Unruly, frizzy brown hair bobbed in a messy bun on top of her head as I opened the door to my dorm room. If it had been this way 4 years ago I would've felt my face slowly become too hot, all while berating my two best friends on etiquette and manners of the female variety. As it stood now, all Hermione Granger could muster was an eye roll as I left the door slightly ajar and went to sit on my four-poster bed decorated in burgundy and gold. I sat crossed-legged while they took up the available floor space, looking at my pajama-clad body with only friendship in their eyes.

"Listen 'Mione, we know you said you wanted to sleep in today but-"

"Quite the understatement, I believe I said 'I would love to sleep in and maybe spend a few hours reading and finishing my transfiguration essay' but as I can see you two are in here three hours before breakfast even starts."

"Ah... Well yes, but-" Harry was rubbing at his right arm nervously, now looking at everything but me.

"We hoped you would come with us to Hogsmeade if you don't mind." Of course, Ron didn't have a care in the world if I wanted to relax today. He looked rather distastefully at all the books strewn about here and there on my side of the dormitories.

"What do we need from Hogsmeade? Just last Saturday you both bought nothing but lollies and chocolate frogs."

Ron's face took on a dream like quality as he smiled into the distance. "Worth it."

Harry, on the other hand, just shrugged. "They had new flavors, anyways that's not the point. We're gonna go get the new Pheonix Strider 2.0!"

"You mean that stupid broom? That's expensive and how are you going to afford one, not to mention two of them?"

"I've got it covered, I checked. Besides, it's Ron's year to join the team and he needs a broom that Fred and George hadn't sweat all over."

"Can't you get Ron a decent broom that isn't almost 1,000 galleons?" It's like he's trying to get himself broke before we graduate. Honestly, it's not like he's Mal- "Wait... You're not just doing this because Malfoy might be getting one as well, right?"

At this Ron looked down and scowled, his mouth turned slightly to the right and I swear I could hear his eyes rolling. Harry wasn't much better, his fidgeting turning into the form of him biting his lip sheepishly and looking at me pleadingly. "No... he's already got one."

I sighed, there was no use in arguing the point further. I shooed them out and went to my shared bathroom, looking at myself in the mirror I brushed through my stubborn hair so it fanned across my shoulders and threw on a cardigan over a white t-shirt and some of the blue jeans my mum sent me.

Ahh, Flourish and Blott's. Could there be a finer shop here? I pushed open the revolving door and breathed in the smell of leather, parchment, and black toffee coffee. I quickly located the non-fiction section and perused the aisles, happily coming across several titles I couldn't wait to read. About to turn toward the register, I spotted a nice hardcover with the title Class Five Potions: Timely but Effective. I plucked it off the shelf and turned back toward the front when I heard a sound like screeching nails on a chalkboard.

"If you look closely, you'll note the wild mudblood. Legend has it this creature is found in libraries and bookstores, trying to become a real wizard."

I lifted my head to the sky and counted backward from five before turning around with a smile. "Oh Malfoy, to what do I owe the pleasure? A troll like you normally never leaves the Forbidden Forest."

"Troll? I may be taller than you but that's not hard considering a pitiful elf like you. Though, if someone's as thoughtless as to go and give you clothes and let you attend school the world must be going mad."

He smirked and leaned against the side of a bookshelf. A sharp glint in his eyes and his too gold hair reflecting the overhead lights. I did a slow observation his clothing, noting that he wore a pair of black slacks and a button up polo shirt with the top three buttons undone.

"I don't think I have anything to say to the world's most revolting choirboy." Turning on my heels and rolling my eyes seemed almost involuntary as I made way for the line forming at the front of the register. At least it seemed that easy until there was a hand on my shoulder forcefully turning me around.

"You're right, I shouldn't grace a filthy mudblood with my presence, it gives me a bad reputation to even touch you. So just hand over that book and we can all go back to acting like you don't exist."

"Excuse me?" I looked down at the four books huddled close to my chest, examining each one and looking up to see him eyeing the one on advanced potions.

"Are you dense? Give. Me. The book." He stepped closer, invading my personal space and glaring holes into my skull.

"No. Why should I give you something that's not even yours? Just because everyone else decides to kiss your-"

He gave a harsh sigh and reached for the book himself, clearly through with waiting for me to abide by his rules. Then he just... Went rigid. His body freezing the second his fingertips touched it, my mouth fell open as I slid out from under him.

"Hermione! Are you okay?" Harry and Ron rushed over to me, Both of their wands by their sides and a scowl on their faces.

"Uh, yeah. Did you guys... You know what I'll lecture you later on the rules of magic outside of school. Let me just pay for these and we can go." We sauntered up and got in the thankfully diminishing line. "Did you guys get the brooms?"

"Yeah! Wanna see?" Ron chirped excitedly.

"Maybe later." I bickered with them until they noticed how dangerously close to the candy store we had gotten. I sighed as they wandered in and rolled my eyes all the way to the carriages that took me back to Hogwarts. At least I'll get to the reading portion of my day...

I started with 104 Ways to Use a Cauldron and read, through lunch and dinner and even into the wee hours of the night. By the time the sun greeted me I was feeling downright tired but so excited to finish and start another one I could hardly wait. I let one of the girls in the common room plait my hair, a feat which proved difficult with all the mid-morning tangles. By lunch, I had moved on to Mythical Creatures: Biomes, Bodies, and Feed and realized with a start that my stomach was rumbling. I put a bookmark in and carried the book with me to the Great Hall. Spotting Harry and Ron scarfing down what looked to be club sandwiches and crisps. I sat with a silent yawn and loaded a plate myself, cracking open the book once more and letting the chatter take a nice backseat.

"Did you see him in the hall? I'd be surprised if that girl could even breathe." Harry murmured.

Ron nodded and shivered in disgust. "I hope she sanitized her face after that one. I wouldn't be surprised if all the girls liked him until they figured out that he's a bloody terrible kisser."

As much as I tried to fight it I felt myself getting more curious with their conversation than my book, having to re-read more than one sentence quite a few times. With a sigh, I closed my book and injected myself into the conversation.

"Who's a terrible kisser?"

"Shhh! Bloody hell Hermione, he might hear you." Ron seemed almost comically panicked as he glanced around the room nervously.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah so who is it?"

"Ron and I saw Malfoy snogging some third year in the hall corridor earlier."

I gagged and glared at them. "In the interest of finishing my food, I would like all talk of Malfoy's... everything to cease at once."

"Yeah well, it's not like that prat is worth talking about any- Hermione!"

Just then Ron's sentence was cut off, my vision blurred red for a split second before I found myself wiping my eyes with a napkin proffered to me by Lavender Brown to my left. The tomato soup dripped into my hair and down my back, essentially making the whole upper half of my body look like I went bobbing for apples in warm red paint. I wasn't left looking for the culprits for long because the Slytherin table was going nuts with laughter, with Pansy Parkinson laughing the loudest, a self-satisfied smirk coming on as the laughter died off.

My face felt white hot and I was oh so tempted to run and live out the rest of my days in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, but that was exactly what they wanted. Instead, I stood and made my way slowly to the door, acting as if I was just going to leave.

"I think it's an improvement, now you're as clean as your blood." Parkinson sneered, the movement making her face even more unattractive.

"Slugulus Erecto!" I watched in morbid enjoyment as Pansy's laugh turned into a gross display of vomiting slugs all over the table.

I pushed my way through a set of the large double doors, intent on taking a long, hot shower when I heard it.

"Hey! Granger!" What does Malfoy want now? Isn't it bad enough that I'll be washing my hair for a good week to get the smell out?

"I'm not going to apologize for hexing your girlfriend, or do you even use that term since you snog about every girl in your house?" I didn't want to turn and acknowledge the smirk that would surely be on his face, one that said I know you're trying so hard to beat me but you never will because I think I'm the best at everything and believing is half the battle.

"Why do you care? Jealous because you can't even hope to get close to snogging me?" That damn smirk was in his voice.

"I would really like to keep the contents of my stomach where they belong so I'll have to decline on your terrible offer. Now if you'll excuse me-"

"You have a cat, right? That ugly thing that I saw you carrying from the carriages this year?"

"You stopped me in the hallway to insult my cat?" I looked around the hall for one of his friends he could be stalling for, probably to put some grilled cheese on my head for a hat next. "That or you must be scraping the bottom of the barrel these days for insults. Look I really don't care what you think of my cat, I need to go wash this-"

"Do you ever shut up? Geez, no wonder you don't have many friends. I could give two fat rats about insulting your cat, I just need to know what it eats."

"What he eats...? Malfoy did you hit your head? Did someone spike your pumpkin juice?" I reached up to feel his forehead and strangely enough, he let me, giving me a half-amused smirk as I felt on it.

"There you go, not shutting up. Just tell me what they eat, I assume mice won't do." I swore I heard him say "or else she would be eating them" under his breath.

I turned around, not wanting him to see how tickled I was to his question, or how much his innocent question seemed to soften his expression until he was almost... cute. "Just go buy cat food, they sell that. In the meantime, water and bits of meat should be fine." I tossed the words over my shoulder and made my way up to Gryffindor Tower.


	2. Siren's Song

Malfoy was acting just plain weird. When he wasn't asking me about cats he was insulting me less and less, even going so far as to throw me a grateful smile every now and again. I was content to write it off until the day he cornered me by the lake during my free period.

"Granger, I need to ask you something." He sauntered over to me with his broom in one hand, presumably going to practice during his free period.

"Listen, Malfoy, what's your game here? Are you planning on kidnapping my cat or something? If you really want to know all this why not just grab a book and read?"

He had the nerve to look sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing everywhere around us before stepping closer, becoming less than a foot from me. "I... It's... Just come here." He grabbed my hand and swung me over onto his broom, I scrambled frantically trying to gain my balance as he rose into the air and finally settled for wrapping my arms deathly tight around his waist. When I opened my eyes again we were apparated into a room of the castle.

"Bloody hell, Granger. I thought I was about to be snapped in half!" Somehow the whispering just made his gripping hilarious instead of menacing.

"Well if you had warned me maybe I would've been more prepared! Where on earth did you take me anyway?"

Just then I heard it, a soft mewling sound before something peeked out around a bedpost. I registered in the back of my mind that we were in a dorm room, decorated in emerald green with black accents. A small orange tabby kitten was curling her way around Malfoy's feet, rubbing her head lovingly against his leg. He picked her up by the scruff of her neck and placed her on his left shoulder. Was that a wince?

"So, the Slytherin Prince finally has a pet? What made you choose a kitten? Seems to counter that douchey atmosphere you're trying to sell." I smiled as the kitten let me stroke its back, bringing me into Malfoy's personal space more than I think he appreciates.

"Yeah well, it's not exactly like I chose the stubborn thing. I was minding my own business, walking through Hogsmeade when I see this thing being nearly trampled amongst a crowd. Tried to take it to the pet shop and they claimed she wasn't theirs, tried to get her in a box in the alley and she just kept stalking me." Even as he fussed about her he reached back and stroked her chin, his hand brushing mine and prompting a slow blush from me.

"Well, let me see what you've been feeding her. Is that her bowl over there by the window?" I noticed that once he had put her down in his bed and reached for the bowl he winced again, a slight jerking motion just before a look of pain crossed his face. "Sit down, Draco."

"What gives you the right to use my first name, Hermione?"

He still obeyed me and sat down on the side of his bed, eyeing me warily as I stepped closer and knelt on the floor in front of him, reaching for the zipper to his robes.

"Uhh, Granger, I knew you were desperate but really? All it takes for you is a guy to show you a cat?"

"Shove it- oh no..." Under his polo shirt, which had far too many buttons to be fashionable, was a bruise on his stomach that was starting to take on a blue hue. "I need you to take this off."

"Honestly, I'm flattered that you think you have a chance at me, I really am but-"

"Just. Take. It off." I growled, waiting rather impatiently for him to do as instructed. It seemed like the kitten didn't think too highly of me getting upset with her master because she lifted up onto her legs and let out an adorable hiss.

"You best be careful, she might claw your eyes out, dangerous things those are. I'm surprised they even permit people to have them in their homes."

He had since finished taking off his robes and shirt, laying them neatly on the other side of his bed and leaving me staring at eye level with his defined chest. I brought out my wand from my inside rob pocket and began trying to fix the bruising around his torso, sheepishly trying to keep my eyes trained on the area instead of examining the rest of him.

Once I was finished I stood up, even if it was a bit awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I honestly didn't know I was holding you that hard. I got rid of the bruising, does it still hurt?"

"No, you're no Madam Pomfrey but it doesn't hurt." A long pause. "Thank you, Granger."

I cleared my throat uncomfortably. "It seems like she's the appropriate size for her age, remember just bits of cooked meat that are small enough for her to swallow, nothing extra or you risk her choking or having digestive problems. Since she's still a kitten you can give her bowls of milk sometimes. Oh! And make sure she gets her energy out sometimes. Playing, having a space to climb and jump, anywhere for exercise really."

"Alright. Hey!" He caught me by my elbow before I could reach for the door handle, spinning me around and into his hard chest. I braced my hands against him but couldn't move farther away from him, settling for just leaning my head back slightly and looking up at his clouded gray eyes. "Thanks, for the tips I mean. I was growing worried I'd have to bury her in the Forbidden Forest before long."

His eyes seemed to bore into me, darting around every inch of my face before settling on my lips. A soft heat built up in my stomach at the way his eyes started to change, turning into melted pools of silver. His face seemed to grow closer and I instinctively stood up on my toes. Then I felt it... A cool, soft pressure on my lips. His breath ghosting across my face as he applied a bit more pressure, naturally leading me to the kiss. His tongue teased at the entrance of my mouth, shocking me into action.

"I... have to uh... go talk to..." I backed away towards the door, realizing I couldn't just walk out into the Slytherin common room from Malfoy's door. I felt a hand on my arm for the second time today and the world blurred, this time I could feel myself being stretched as we apparated in front of the school. I wanted so badly to ask him when he'd learned to do that but hurried through the front doors anyway, bustling over to the great hall for Lunch.

Avoiding Malfoy became my favorite hobby. As long as I don't think about it, it didn't happen..., right? Classes were a given but, not for the first time, I found myself thanking Merlin that we only shared Care of Magical Creatures and Potions together. He always seemed to be looking away from me nonchalantly, but a few times over the past three weeks I could've sworn I felt eyes on me. Maybe it was Parkinson, still steamed up from that sluggish encounter.

I stood between Ron and Harry as we walked toward Hagrid's hut for our class. I think I was the most excited because of all the knowledge I'd gained from the book I bought. Harry mentioned that we were studying Sirens today, one of the sub-species of merfolk. When we caught up with the rest of the class they have all gathered around a pool the size of a small lake.

"Alright now children, put on these earmuffs. They won't, completely block out the sound, but don't you worry none. They dull the effects of their song enough to be less dangerous. Now each of ya gets a partner, male and female. Can anyone guess why?" My hand shot up like a racehorse but I was far too used to the school to be embarrassed. "Ah! 'Mione?"

"Although females aren't completely unaffected by the call of the siren, they are less likely to be affected like that of a male. Over centuries of catching pirates, mostly male, their songs have become more alluring and easily enticing to any male within a distance of their singing." I recited happily, beaming at the praise I received.

I looked around as people paired up and looked at Ron and Harry expectedly but felt my jaw drop a bit when I saw Lavender Brown's arms tightly laced with Ron's and his dumbfounded expression. I turned toward Harry and saw that he had been snatched up by Cho Chang, the two making pleasant small talk as they seated the dense earmuffs on their heads.

"Don't look so lost, someone might get the impression you don't have any friends besides the weasel and four-eyes there." Malfoy sauntered over and stood next to me, the earmuffs seated on his ears and a smirk sitting on his soft...

"Oh, so you're gonna be my knight in shining armor? Save the pathetic looking girl because the others will eat that right up, won't they?" I rolled my eyes and moved closer to the pool, studying the way the Siren swam gracefully through the water, pleasantly surprised when one came just above the water and smiled at me.

"Of course, I am nothing if not charitable."

The Sirens gaze moved lazily over to Malfoy and I watched as she eyed him up and down, something about the movement heating my blood.

Draco's POV:

I eyed Herm-Granger, dammit! She is Granger to me! I watched her notice her friends abandon her, although the weasel didn't exactly look like he was voluntary. She looked like a fish out of water, her bottom lip jutting out in the slightest pout, strangely adorable. Although in typical fashion the moment I walked up to her she bristled like a wet cat. Did I remember to feed her this morning? I should probably give a name to the blasted thing, it is taking over my bedroom after all. I watched her out of the corner of my eye, seeing the twinkle appear as the Siren came up to her, smirking at the speed with which she wrote out everything she could notice about the thing.

When I turned I wasn't expecting what I saw. The Sirens off-putting beauty was replaced with something else. Her razor-sharp teeth and alluring almond eyes morphed into round chocolate ones with bags just barely visible underneath, her features softening into a round face framed by wet, matted curly brown hair. Granger swam up to the edge of the pool and suddenly she was all I could see. The way those wild locks of hair floated on the surface of the water, the way she bit her lip absentmindedly. I didn't see the signs of a bathing suit under the water, I bet if I just moved a bit closer I could see-

"Ouch..."

Suddenly I was on my back, her voice extremely close to me and something pressing down on my chest. The world spun for a second until I regained my bearings to see she had fallen on top of, or maybe tackled, me. Her hair was close to invading my mouth and I could feel the curves of her body pressed against mine. When she finally looked into my eyes I saw the blush that had taken over her face, coloring it a rosy pink.

"You daft prat, how could you fall for that so easily?" There was no heat behind her words, a tiny bit of concern still lingered in her eyes.

"I... It just caught me off guard, that's all. Are you okay?"

"Fine, you're a bit softer than I thought you'd be. Too many pumpkin pastries?"

I actually let out a small laugh at that one, little minx was quite funny when she wanted to be. "So, are you gonna get up or would you prefer to stay here and discuss my body some more?"

She scrambled to get up, apologizing and looking everywhere but in my general direction. I got up gingerly and noticed only a few people looking at our display of awkwardness. The rest observing the other three gits who had managed to fall under the Siren's song. Blaise Zabini was even soaking wet from the neck up, a dazed smile sitting on his face as his partner snapped her fingers in his face. Leave it to me to be best friends with a guy who'd willing dunk his head underwater just for the sake of a gorgeous girl.

I eyed Granger as she stretched to look for her hopeless friends, smiling at my own brilliance as I wrote out a quick note on parchment and slipped it into her robe pocket while she wasn't looking.

Hermione's POV:

I walked back with Harry and Ron to the main building, shooting glances at Malfoy the entire way back. He had a smile on his face, not a smirk, just a look of pure satisfaction that for some reason was more worrying than the smirk he always wore. I sat next to Harry in our charms class and looked for the quill I had pocketed when I knocked Malfoy out of the Siren's line of sight. Instead, my fingers came across a folded sheet of paper I didn't remember placing in there and I unfolded it.

Granger,

You. Seventh-floor corridor. Tonight.


	3. Room of Requirements

I tapped my foot impatiently against the hard stone floor of the library as I watched the clock tick. Malfoy and his stupid letters, what could he possibly need with me at night? Unless... No, no. Malfoy is not just a guy he's the Slytherin freaking Prince! Their golden boy and definitely not someone who would even talk to someone like me. But he did talk to me... He asked ME about cats, showed ME his new little ward and it was ME that he chose to pair up with in class. What could he... Why would he... Ugh! That useless prat just wants to mess with me, get me all flustered just to make a fool of me in front of everyone! Not to mention what Harry and Ron would think, I'd break their trust in me, go back to being that girl that doesn't quite fit in. I could never-

"Excuse me, Ms. Granger but it's time to head on up to bed with the rest of 'em." Ms. Pince reminded me of my mother as she leaned over me and kindly tapped me on the shoulder, gesturing to the many students passing by the open doorways.

"Yes, of course. I'm terribly sorry. See you tomorrow!"

I grabbed the books I had been pretending to read and put them on the cart of library returns before walking into the throng of students lazily making their way to their respective common rooms. The wall clock placed amongst the various moving paintings around the moving staircases read nine pm, about five more minutes until the stairs switched. I dawdled about, waiting for most of the student to clear out before making my way through, clasping the railing hard as they switched and some of the less fortunate were forced to take the long way back.

Once I found myself staring down one of the fire-lit seventh-floor corridors I hid in the crevice of a statue pushed into a nook in the wall. Biting my lip and praying that Filch and his cat were patrolling elsewhere. I ducked out of my hiding spot to survey if Malfoy was anywhere and started to feel silly, why did I sneak up here when he could've very well told me to come here knowing he wouldn't show up. He's probably hoping I get caught. A hand wrapped around my wrist and suddenly I was being pulled into a door I didn't see before.

"Took you long enough." He exaggerated and gave me a slow smirk for added effect.

"Is... Is this the Room of Requirements? I'd only read that there was one in Hogwarts. How did you find it?"

He shrugged and turned toward the room, I only just realized it had a plush couch in front of a fireplace, closely resembling a common room but lacking any distinct colors. He sat on the couch, staring down at the kitten playing with a huge stuffed mouse toy.

"I'm having trouble thinking of a name for her. She hissed at every one I tried so far. She didn't like Narcey, Cissy, Skylar, Berty, or Luna. I'm running out of options here."

"You called me here to help you find a name for your cat?"

"More or less," He rolled his eyes. "Of course not, that's just something I figured you could chime in on, seeing as you're a girl. I want to talk to you about something."

"About what? Surely you could ask one of the girls in your own house?"

"I could, and then run the risk of them telling the whole school and having everyone think I've gone soft. Besides, again, I need to talk to you. That book you bought at Flourish and Blott's on potions. I need to see it."

"What could you have with a book on potions? Surely our textbooks would suffice?"

"No, there are things that aren't in the textbooks that I need to know, surely you know that or else you wouldn't have had to buy the book in question."

"True... Why do you need it?"

"I don't believe that's any of your business."

"Well it is, you see. I have something you want. So just tell me what it's for and you might get it."

He thought about it and sighed. "What kind of cat names have you got?"

I almost laughed at his unwillingness to give up details. Almost. "How about Bella?" A hiss. "Melaney?" Double hiss. "Amber?" The Longest hiss of the century. "Bailey?"

"I... Actually quite like that one..."

"Did you just-?!" Malfoy and I both started, staring at each other, then down towards the kitten who had since stopped playing with the plush, preferring to lay on it while staring up at us with its big green eyes.

Malfoy looked like he was going to pass out, all the color went from his face as he let out the barest of whispers. "Did you just talk... Bailey?"

"Of course I did, You and that mean lady are bad with names."

"How did you-

"Mean?! You think I'm the mean one?!" Of course, she would like him, bully of the school, just because he feeds her, takes care of her, and gives her toys to play with. Okay, I'm realizing how crazy I sound but I'm not mean!

"You yelled at master and hurt him too! You're the biggest meanie I've ever met!" I had the feeling that if she could stick out her tongue she would, instead, she settled for turning away from me and curling up in Malfoy's lap.

"Could you put a stopper in that and someone tell me how on earth Bailey is talking to us through our minds?" Malfoy chuckled and began petting the blasted thing.

I realized I was pouting with my arms crossed and my foot tapping rhythmically against the plush carpeting. I took a seat on the couch since it seemed to be the only furniture here.

"I didn't wanna do it before because my mum used to tell us not to talk to strangers, I was going back for her when you picked me up and took me to this big place. I don't know where mum is anymore..."

I hated to admit even my heart hurt for the poor thing. "When was that last time you saw her?"

"Mm in a box, we slept in a box by that place with all the big people. Sometimes they would pick up and feed my brothers and me, and they would take them too. Mom seemed sad at first but always said it was better for them. They'd get hugs and food every day. When I went out one day, it looked like it would rain. I found some food and tried to drag it back to mom but there were too many people." She turned over and aimed her big green eyes at Malfoy. "Then master saved me."

"Aww, I'm sorry little one. I'm sure your mom is safe and sound, just like your siblings. Hey! Malfoy maybe this weekend we can go looking for the box! If the mothers there we can-"

"We can what? You've already got a bloody cat, Granger. Neither of us can take on two pets and I'd prefer that this particular situation stays between us." He snapped.

I thought it over, biting my bottom lip worriedly. "Crookshanks can stay with my parents if we find the mother, I'll take her as my pet and no one would be the wiser."

He seemed to contemplate it for a while, before finally turning to face me and felt our knees touch. "Fine, but we can't just go to Hogsmeade together, only one of us can go look for the cat."

"I'll do it, Malfoy. It won't be a problem since Harry and Ron are practically addicted to the candy shop there. If I hide the cat in my robes I could bring it back safely as well."

"Draco."

"Pardon?"

"Call me Draco, Hermione. Bailey," She perked up curiously, "be nice to her, it's... it's my fault she acts the way she does. However, she promises to be nicer to me, don't you Granger?" He smirked in my direction, waiting for the affirmative that I would surely give but not without a heavy sigh.

"Yes, M-Draco. I'll be nice, just like you will be too. Now let's be thankful Friday is in two days and not a whole 'nother week from now."

He nodded gingerly, his look going back to a nervous one. "I need that book. I... have to research a healing potion that's a bit off the beaten path from what's in our textbooks."

I studied him curiously, watching as he avoided my gaze in favor of watching Bailey writhe around in his lap. He looked... vulnerable. Like he had aged 10 years in the time he first asked me for the book tonight. I finally noticed the bags starting to form under his eyes and the way his normally light gold hair had lost some of its luster. Something in my heart squeezed and I found myself reaching out and gripping his hand in my own.

"Yeah, I'll lend you the book tomorrow night, Draco. That enough time for you?"

He looked at our hands curiously and I moved to pull away, suddenly embarrassed but his grip suddenly tightened. We sat in silence for a long while, watching and talking with Bailey and very quietly amongst ourselves. Bailey could understand things at about a fourth-year level, well English that is. She still used childish grammar that I found adorable. She also loved tuna and the food she was carrying back to her mum.


	4. Vertigo

**Forgot to do this for the past 3 chapters but a quick disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything in the world of Harry Potter.**

 **Sorry, i'll try to remember to put that more often!**

Sunlight in the eyes is probably the worst way to wake up. Which is why I thanked Merlin that the Room of Requirement didn't create any last night when Draco summoned it. However, I did wake up with an arm wrapped protectively around my waist, holding me tight to a slim, toned chest. In my mid-morning haze, it took me a few seconds to get my bearings. Beds don't shrink... do they? Why do I feel so heavy? Did I eat too much at dinner? Maybe I should take a long walk during my free period today. Who in the world is breathing that loudly into my ear?!

I can't recall a time my eyes had ever grown as wide as they did just then. I slowly unwound myself from Draco's heavy arm and stood staring at the scene before me. He was laying on his side, his clothes wrinkled and his robe cast over him like a blanket. His face didn't hold any of that malice or pessimism like it did in his waking hours, he looked like he had when he asked me all those cat questions; boyish and calm.

I surveyed the rest of the room, noting my robe was off as well. The fire was out in the fireplace and my robe was folded up and resting over the back of the couch. I contemplated just leaving, my internal body temperature telling me to do the same. What did he care if he was a few minutes late for breakfast? I grabbed my robe and tossed it on, smoothing it as best I could before I just gave up and pulled out my wand to say the simple charm that would take care of the rudimentary task. One fleeting look at Draco lying peacefully on the couch had me springing into action.

"Draco... Draco... Come on we'll be late!" I shook his side vigorously, even going so far as to reach up to poke his cheek.

He caught my wrist, his eyes opening and slowly resting on me with full awareness. "Ever heard of bedside manner, Gra-Hermione?"

I tried very hard not to roll my eyes and instead settled for a polite smile. "Whatever do you mean? I'm the picture of perfect manners."

His eyes squinted and he pulled me an inch closer to him, I was left hovering about a foot above his own face. "I badly want to show you how much I can break those precious manners right now." He whispered, just barely loud enough in this private room for me to hear. "Go, I'll be out in a bit, we can't be seen leaving at the same time anyway."

"R-right, I'll just, uh, be on my way then."

Physically I wanted to shake myself, I wanted to dunk my head in a bucket of ice water that was filled with Arctic glaciers for crying out loud. My body temperature must've shot up at least 10 degrees and now my robes felt far too revealing, which was absurd considering that they hung lamely over my figure.

I managed to briskly walk my way over to the great hall after stopping by my room, blending in with some stragglers and taking my seat next to Ron, even if I did have to nudge Lavender out of the way to get to it.

"Morning, are you guys ready for the test in potions?" I myself felt less prepared then I'd have liked to. I shamed myself as I thought of what I should've been doing instead of getting focused on Draco's sudden appearance in my life.

Instead they both groaned, Harry less so because Cho Chang was sitting right next to him talking to a friend of hers. Finally, it was Ron who answered. "You just had to walk in and ruin the mood, didn't you 'Mione? Here we were havin' a nice breakfast and you waltz in with your stupid potions exam talk."

"Hey, don't you shoot the messenger, Ronald. What were you two doing last night if not studying?"

They looked between each other and hurriedly spurted out mixed answers from Harry going to see Hagrid to both of them being in the owlery sending letters to their parents. All they won for their attempts at lies was a lengthy eyeroll and amused looks from half the table. I took out my potions textbook from the side bag I'd managed to remember to pick up before coming here.

"Where have you been, Hermione?" The question had my head snapping up and taking notice of Parvati Patil, who sat next to a dreamy-eyed Lavender.

"What do you mean? I was in the library until late last night." I said warily, not sure where this was going.

"Oh, I was just wondering why you never came to bed. Surely old Ms. Pince wouldn't let you sleep in there. Not with how nosey she is." She spoke nonchalantly but I could just see the wheels turning in that small head of hers.

"Of course I didn't fall asleep in there, when I came back to bed you and Lavender were already asleep. I had some trouble sleeping so when I woke early I went down to the library again to do more research for our upcoming History of the Wizarding World essay." I tried to pull off a shrug and pretended to keep going through my textbook, knowing if I looked up everyone would know that was an obvious lie.

Luckily, that did seem to take the wind out of her sails and she let out a disgruntled, "Oh, we have an essay for that class?" Before she turned and started rummaging through her own bag to start on the assignment that wasn't due for another week.

Across the great hall, Draco sat talking to his groupies. It went without saying that Parkinson was pressed way too close to him while he chatted with Zabini animatedly. I hadn't realized I was staring intently until his head turned, his eyebrows downcast as if he was trying to figure out something. When his eyes slid over mine and came back, I looked down, unable to meet whatever expression his face held.

Suddenly I felt light headed, the room swayed and all I could was put my head down on the table and groan, the concern that erupted around me took a back seat as I tried to convince myself to swallow. What's wrong with me? Oh, please not the flu.

Arms lifted me, throwing me gingerly over a broad-enough shoulder and started walking. I felt us come to a stop, a slow turn and the body holding me went rigid. The sounds started coming through like we were all underwater, the voices barely clear enough for me to hear.

"Bugger off Potter, I'm taking her to Madam Pomfrey's. If I have to sit through more of you and the weasel's yelling and bloody panic then I'm going to barf myself."

A bit more objections before I heard a sigh and we turned again. Once out in the hall and after a bit of walking he let me slip into a bridal hold, looking down at my sweaty face as I stared at him praying that I didn't throw up on his robes.

"What's up? Not feeling so hot after staying in that freezing cold room, huh?" He looked genuinely concerned and I was too tired to be sarcastic even if he wasn't.

"I... It wasn't cold last night..."

"Sure it w-" he paused and seemed to chuckle to himself more than to me, "Forget that, if that didn't make you sick then what happened?"

"One-minute I'm perfectly fine and the next... Hey, this isn't the way to the infirmary. Actually, I don't recognize this hall, where are you taking me?" What little strength I had left went to looking around and trying to get my feet positioned somewhat steadily instead of dangling uselessly off his arms.

"Quit that, will you? It's hard enough to carry you as it is. Last thing we need is to go falling and alerting all and sundry to our presence up here." He carried me past the threshold of a door, I recognized the familiar common room we were in but now there seemed to be extra doors.

"Why here instead of the infirmary? No offense, Malfoy, but you're no Madam Pomfrey. Besides we don't even know what's wrong with me yet. I could very well just be a bit dizzy from not eating in a while." Pointing out facts made me feel better that I didn't even know why I was like this, I'd never even been that ill over missing meals before. In fact, when around the Harry Potter I thought my body had begun to need less meals because we usually got into something that lead to us skipping them.

"Yeah well, I may not have studied medicine and charms for the last hundred years but I do know a basic nausea charm and besides, why not lay down and take it easy today? Not like your grades will suffer from it."

"Are you kidding? We have a potions test today! You know Snape won't give me an easy go of it just because I have some tummy ache. Not to mention we're wrapping up our section on Sirens and -"

"Yes, yes, I get it. You love school to bits and won't shut up about it. Maybe you can't lay here all day but you can for at least a couple of minutes to make sure you won't vomit all over the stones." He laid me down of the couch and propped my head onto his lap, his motions fluid.

"So... H-how's Bailey been? Is she eating alright?" I couldn't bear to look up so I just gazed at a dark spot of the hardwood floors.

"She's fine, little runt's been burrowing into all of my things, practically moves around my dorm like she owns the place now." I could tell that there was fondness there in his voice, and maybe something akin to relief.

"Never pegged you for a cat person."

"I'm not, I'm merely a person who owns a cat."

"One who dotes on the cat, even if in secret."

"It's not doting if I'm just trying to take the thing up to my standards. If I own it then it must be the best, so she must learn to act like it." That earned a groan.

"Please tell me you are not turning her into you. One is surely enough."

His warm hand cupped my cheek and before I could object, or even want to, he had my face level with his. His eyes bore down into mine and I could see where the bags were forming under his eyes, the hint of a tired grey tinge coming into his pale face. For a while he just stared, my eyes roamed to some of the things in close proximity, his cheeks with barely-there dimples, his shoulders that were looking more appealing and full every time I examined him, his lips which I commanded myself to stay away from. Ultimately, my focus was always drawn back to those stormy silver eyes that were coming closer and closer until he was hunched just an inch above me and I was starting to feel light headed with the lack of air I was pulling into my lungs.

The tension, the anticipation, built up to over whelming heights and before I knew it I was closing the distance. I knew that was the wonderful lie I was telling myself, I knew that there was something inside me, something that yearned to touch him. My body yearned for the right to touch him, to know that I could if I wanted to and I wouldn't have to feel bad about it. Something in me wanted him, wanted him like I wanted water or air or books. For just this once, I'll let myself have what I want... For just this once, I'll be selfish.

The bell rang, I pulled away, and we parted from our little secret haven separately. That's how I ended up in my usual seat next to Ron and Harry in Potions but I couldn't remember actually doing any of it. After the kiss, which had me shuddering just thinking about it, I felt like everything was an out-of-body experience. Now with Snape pacing in front of the class I couldn't even be bothered to focus on what he was saying. I just waited for some paper to be tossed uncaringly on my desk and prayed my mind would function enough to recall whatever was on the questions.

"Granger, you can't possibly be expected to carry your friends through this. Instead we will challenge you with someone much better. Let's see here... Malfoy. Partner with the girl."

What? I looked towards the back of the classroom where he usually sat and found him smirking at me, his arms crossed and his body leaned against the back of his chair. Slytherin girls, and even some Gryffindor ones were glaring right at me as I made my way to the back to occupy the seat left open by some other rearranging partners. I rested my head on top of the desk for a moment to collect myself.

"Well I know my presence is said to be intoxicating but I didn't think you would be this far gone already." He chuckled and I felt his hand snake under the table as he placed the back of his hand gently against my neck. "You're awfully hot, you sure the exam is worth being here rather than going to the infirmary?"

I lifted up gingerly and surveyed the still not quite room. "Why do we need partners for the test? What did he say?"

"He said we have until the end of the class period to make a potion of slumber. If you haven't noticed I've already gotten the ingredients on the table. Just rest, I got this." He waved me away and began muttering, Aguamenti.

"As if I'm going to let you do all the work, shove over and let me help." I grabbed the side of the worn old copper cauldron he had placed in front of him and brought it closer to me.

"Very pushy for someone who's as pale as death and sweating like you've gone and run a marathon." I couldn't take the worried glances and started putting the first ingredient into the cauldron, chopped mandrake.

"Look I just need a bit of rest. I'll get that during my free period, after I send Crookshanks off. Anyways, can you stir that for the next five minutes?"

"Sure, let's pretend you're making me stir because you just don't feel like it. Not because you can't. You need to go, now."

"Why must you argue with me? Can't you just accept that I'm not feeling well and go about your merry way?"

"Why can't you just listen to me? Are you really that obsessed with your grades that you'll pass out just to prove a point? You're daft if you think this is ending any way other than you puking and humiliating yourself or passing out on one of the stairwells for Filch to find."

I glared sharply. Trying my hardest to keep my voice down. "Since when do you care if I humiliate myself? If I recall correctly, and I'm very sure I do, you were the prime orchestrater of most of my embarrassment. I may not know what going on with you, or me, or any of this but I do know that people like you don't just change. Not without an agenda." My chest heaved with the effort it took to keep the malice in my voice and glared at him to get my point across.

Through it all his face hardened and he glared back, although while mine was of anger his was calculating. "You know what? You don't want me to care? Good, because I don't. Just don't come crying to me when your precious little feelings get hurt."

He took the cauldron back and started working on the potion himself, adding the shaved unicorn horn and dried blue leech powder. My every attempt to help was thwarted as he kept everything a safe distance from me and positioned his body so his back was facing me. Even a few deep breaths didn't calm me and soon I was brewing in my own anger so much that I didn't recognize the worried looks I was getting from my house or the light-headed feeling that was returning in my head. Bile rose up in my throat, I couldn't tell whether I should leave to go throw up or put my head down to stop the spinning.

I settled for the latter, resting my head against the wooden table, noting that I was in fact sweat profusely. My senses didn't snap back until i heard Snape's voice ring out among the chattering students.

"Alright, wands and ingredient down. Let's see what's become of four years of teaching, shall we?"

He roamed around, starting at the first table on the left and working his way to the right before moving up a level and going towards the left. Only snarky responses were given, seemed like most of the potions were missing something or had some other negative effect. "Didn't stir enough. I said potion of slumber not drought. It seems classes have been a waste of your time, Weasley? Of course, this was no hard task for young mister Potter."

Finally, he stepped in front of Draco and I, my head had barely risen a few inches off the table and he eyed me strangely, his gaze turning to Draco and I could tell he was searching for something there. The class begun turning to see what he would say about ours and he just muttered. "Just what I'd expect from my best student, a surprise indeed."

When the bell rang I stood and flew out the door, not stopping until I was in my own dorm. The sight of my books piled next to my neatly made bed seemed foreign to me now as I laid upon the covers, closing my eyes for a moment. What is going on? Since when does my life get to be more exciting than Harry's? No, not exciting. Just different. A big difference...


	5. It Takes Time

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 **Reminder: Comments, Suggestions, Feedback all well and appreciated!**

Yellow, just pale yellow. My clothes, my sheets, my room.

I sat up gingerly, surveying everything. Other than the odd color change everything was in its place, even Crookshanks rested in his favorite place, my bedside drawer. That's right, I have to send you off to mum. I picked up my fourth favorite guy and cradled him in my arms and made my way out of the girls' dormitories. The yellow flame of the fireplace was beautiful, even if it was off-putting. The halls were empty and it was then that I realized I didn't know what time it was. If the fireplace was still on then it couldn't have been that late. Maybe it was lunchtime, or maybe dinner? I wandered down stairwells and through vacant halls all bathed in pastel yellow, the paintings were eerily quiet and still.

As I grew closer to the front doors to go towards the owlery I heard voices, the sweetest sound I could ever imagine after walking through a silent, intimidating castle.

"Are you sure? How can any of this be worth the trouble it will surely cause?" A bitter sounding voice seemed tired, and angry.

"Patience is all that's required. They've already begun to grow close and the time grows nearer. It is not yet a matter of how but of when." A wispy voice, deep and recognizable.

Creeping around the corner, I hid behind a gargoyle statue and saw Snape and Dumbledor quietly talking, well Dumbledor seemed quiet and at ease but Snape was pacing up a storm.

"You don't know what he'll do. You may have met him in passing but I know him! He has endless connections, and nothing but time really. We both know his job at the ministry leaves him with more time than desired."

"Come now, Severus, do you think so little of them that they can't handle his fury? Or is it the mere fact that they're together that's rattling you?" Dumbledore seemed to be having fun, a small smile playing at his lips.

"You know as well as I do that the inter-house rivalries is nothing more than a passing fancy. What I do mind is playing some loathsome matchmaker in students' lives. There is no reason to-"

A hand was placed on Snape's shoulder, effectively halting all the pacing. "We've been over this; all things are not without reason. It is not only he that they should fear but they shall bring about a reform, one desperately needed if the Dark Lord should arise and the students are to have a fighting chance. If for nothing else, trust."

With that he strode off, walking away from Professor Snape and I, leaving Snape huffing against one of the stone walls before he himself walked in the direction opposite direction. I pressed myself tightly against the stone walls but Snape blew right passed me without a glance. Matchmaker? So Dumbledore and Snape want two students together... to stop He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named? In that case there's no doubt in my mind that they mean Harry. Who has Harry been growing close to? Blasted Malfoy, I've been so concerned with him that I haven't paid the slightest attention to my own best friends!

My quiet walk to the owlery turned into a brisk jog, all the while poor Crookshanks was bouncing along. He let me know how unhappy he was with his handling the moment the huge doors closed behind us. I could make out the tower of the owlery in the distance and started to move towards it when the bang of the large doors struck something inside me.

It almost hurt me to have my eyes open, let alone have them wider than normal. A quick glance around and I saw the world was no longer bathed in pastel yellow, Crookshanks was even sitting beside me, busying himself grooming his paw. I ran my hand down my exhausted face and gave him a quick pat as I blew through my morning routine of showering and brushing my unruly hair. Morning? Wait that can't be right. That's means I've slept for... 15 hours?! That can't be. My classes! Oh no I have to go search for Bailey's mum today! I haven't even sent Crookshanks off! Well, might as well get it done sooner than later I suppose.

I grabbed a box and punched some big round holes in the top and placed half of his food and toys inside. Then penned a quick message to my mum and dad telling them about my soon to be new ward. After a few tiring minutes of coaxing Crookshanks into said box we were on our way to the owlery. This time I wasn't stopped by imaginary conversations and made my way back by the beginning of breakfast. I read some more of my History of the Wizarding World textbook until I felt extra weight added on to the bench, seeing Harry on my left and Ron on my right.

"Not a good Saturday to be up?" I guessed.

"Not at all, Hagrid actually gave us homework to do on pixies before next class. Oi, where were you yesterday anyways? We didn't get to see you since potions when you had to work with that dreadful oaf." Ron yawned and started piling food on his plate.

I waved off the insult at Draco and tried not to show how much it bothered me. "Don't remind me. I actually went up to bed for my free period and I guess I just slept through the day. Weird, I don't know why I felt so sick but I feel fine now. Actually, I've been thinking of going to Hogsmeade today for some... books! Yeah I hear they just got new ones and I want to check them out."

"Didn't you spend your allowance last time we went?" Harry pointed it out but looked slightly uncomfortable saying as much.

"Of course not, I saved most of it before I even went with you both last time. So are you open to escorting me?"

"Sure, do you mind if we invite some... people?" Harry was acting downright weird, even for someone to just be bashful.

"Sure, who did you have in mind?"

"Oh, you know, Cho and Lavender have been talking about getting some stuff done there and then wanted us to teach them quidditch so we thought they could, um, tag along."

"Mhm, would you say you were close to Cho, Harry?" I couldn't help but have Dumbledore's words at the back of my mind.

"O-of course not! We're just friends! N-nothing's happened or anything, why would you ask such a weird question anyway?!" He ended with a bashful glare and I could see the sweat starting to form on his brow.

"No reason, what about you, Ron? Do you know Lavender well?"

Ron seemed much more composed than Harry but he kept flicking glances at me as he slowed his chewing. "Um, not that well. We've been talking though, j-just talking."

I rolled my eyes, if Dumbledore and Snape thought getting either of these two a girl would save the wizarding world then they better be in for the long haul. Across the way I could see Draco chatting it up with Parkinson and a third-year boy, both clinging to his every word. My eyes caught his and a slow smirk spread across his face as he slung his arm around Pansy's shoulders. His gaze never broke away from mine but I couldn't look anymore.

"Alright, I'd like to get this done as soon as possible so let's meet at the carriages in a few minutes, yeah?" I stood and marched out of the great hall and towards the front of the school, stopping to stand by the lake a few feet away from the Forbidden Forest and looking out at the still waters.

"Oh look, a wild mudblood in search of friends, how fitting." Just when I thought everything had happened this morning, Parkinson comes strutting up to me with her two friends Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass in tow.

"Nice try but I've already heard that one, why don't you spend less time perfecting the airhead routine and more time working on your bullying techniques. Personally, I think both are a little rusty but the latter needs more work." I turned slowly to face them, crossing my arms and prepping for the battle of wits. Not like I had much of a challenge there.

"Sure, and while I'm at it I'll just be getting all the things you could only read in your muggle fairytales. You know things like friends and a boyfriend. Don't worry if you don't know what either of those are." She turned her nose up haughtily and began walking away before she turned back towards me abruptly. "Actually, I take that back. You'll probably have the pleasure of marrying that blood traitor Weasley, good luck for the litter of mutts you'll have."

"Why you-"

"Oi Pansy! There's no point wasting your time with her. Are you coming or not?" A certain harsh toned voice called from the direction of the school gates. I was too angry to even care about the quick glance he shot or the fact that he might've saved me from getting myself expelled.

Pansy trotted off and just as I was about to contemplate calling the whole day off Harry and Ron came up with Cho and Lavender close behind. Before I could take myself out of it we were all piled into a carriage together and being whisked away to Hogsmeade.

I watched both couples as we rode there. Harry and Cho mainly, they whispered and Cho would giggle every so often. Harry was all smiles and more than once I had to stop myself from asking Cho what her favorite school subject was or what her highest magic score was on our exams last year. I just couldn't fathom that she was needed to take down You-Know-Who but stranger things have happened.

After a two-hour ride there I couldn't take much of the chatter anymore and decided to break off from the group to "go get sized for new robes". Once they were all through the doorway of the nearby pub to get butterbeer I slipped into the alleyway next to it. I didn't want to go too far down, fearing I would get lost and mixed up with more of the seedier shops than I'd like to. Luckily, I spotted a box not too far from the opening of the alley and peered inside excitedly.

No luck. I surveyed the alleyway and shuddered at the cloaked figures that ambled by the shops down there. A few steps forward and I was searching behind a garbage bin but still no sign of a mother cat. A few more steps and I was searching behind the pub, noting cleanliness but still no cat. Maybe I should look in one of the other alleys?

A distressed cry sounded in the distance, or was that just ringing in my ears? I strained to hear it again, even stopped breathing. It didn't come back and I threw my head up to the sky in frustration. When my head came back down there was a gangly old woman eyeing me up and down, her hand reaching towards the front of my robes.

I turned and ran, trying to contain my shudders and only stopped when I was safely in view of the other patrons of the city. The cold chill seeped into me and I crossed my arms for warmth. This is impossible! There are so many alleyways and hiding spots for even a small child, how can I possibly hope to find one cat?!

I decided I would try the neighboring alley, and if I came up empty then so be it. Maybe someone came by and took in the mother, anyway. There were so many questions and doubts swirling around in my head that when I came across a small, thin stream of blood along the pavement I shrugged it off, someone could've just gotten into a scuffle. I passed by the stream cautiously and ventured a bit further into the empty alley, checking behind bins and in small crevices where one could shelter themselves. By the time I turned to go back it started to rain, the droplets making their homes on my robes and the cold seeping into me even more.

"You smell... like her."

A small voice, a tired voice came into my mind timidly. I could've burst in tears at the thought of being out of this freezing rain with the mother safe and sound.

"W-where are you? D-do you know about Bailey? A-a small kitten with marbled black and grey fur?" I couldn't stop my teeth chattering and I could see many students making their way hurriedly back to the carriages, trying to shield themselves from the downpour.

"Bailey? Is that the name you've chosen?" A weak, strangled laugh. "Yes, I think she'd like that name quite a bit."

There was a sinking feeling in my stomach, I didn't want to follow it but I walked back down until I could see the blood trail that was flowing and mixing with the rain water. I followed it until I saw the back of a building, the bright red bricks making it easy to spot the pile of matted black fur. I quickly crouched down and tried to locate the wound, the only one I could almost see coming from a long gash across her mid-section. Tearing apart the fabric of my robes I gently tied the cotton around the wound, noting how it didn't instantly soak with blood, she was so badly hurt.

"How long have you been like this? Bleeding I mean, can you make stay with me for just 2 hours?" I lifted her as best I could, she flinched and I could tell she was trying not to.

I ran back to the carriages and got in the nearest one, urging the horses to go as quickly as they could. She never responded to my inquiry and I had to keep a finger on her neck just to make sure she was still alive. I think the enchanted horses could sense the urgency of the situation because they took routes I didn't even know existed. We passed numerous amounts of other carriages ad cut through trees and around corners.

Finally, we made it back to the castle. I couldn't tell how long it took us but I was greatful for the effort nonetheless. I couldn't care less for the looks I was getting as I pushed passed people, cradling this precious ball of fur who seemed like she was fighting just as hard as me.

"Madam Pomfrey! Please help me!" I burst into the infirmary, only slightly taking in the two others that were unconscious in the white, slim beds.

"Goodness me, Miss Granger, what happened?!"

"It's not for me, this... My cat. She's dying and I need help... Please..."


	6. The Impossible

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Harry Potter Universe or it's characters!**

 **Reminder: Comment, Feedback, Suggestions are all welcome!**

Sitting with her curled up in my arms, I wasn't sure how to hold her without it hurting so the way Madam Pomfrey placed her in my arms was the way she stayed. Even if it felt unnatural. When the kind physician stopped in front of me and noted the lack of blood on the bandages she smiled sorrowfully.

"I'm not a veterinarian, I've told Albus that a hundred times. However, this one is a fighter and though she lost a lot of blood she can fully recover with time. But that kind of blood loss... it's not easy to replace with animals, I'm not too sure myself how it's done. I've called for an associate of mine to come look into this matter. For now, you can take her, find her someplace safe and warm and let her rest."

With one last smile towards me, she left back to her office. I pulled myself up and off the chair and made my way towards my dorm. My limbs felt so heavy, I could tell I was moving sluggishly and debated going back. Maybe I could ask her for some medicine to prevent this cold. I certainly wasn't confident about my ability to make it up the Gryffindor Tower stairs in the condition.

The closer I got toward the common room, the more I remembered my frenzied rush to the infirmary. I was going to need one heck of a story to excuse my behavior, or maybe I could just pass her off as Crookshanks. They were nearly similar in fur color, although mum here was a bit darker. I wonder if she has a name? Surely, she must've been owned at some point.

I lugged my way to the base of the tower's steps and groaned, I can't do this right now. That's more than eight flights of stairs! I turned back and thought to myself. Maybe I could only go seven flights? Ugh, even that sounded dreadful but less is more I suppose.

I managed to get myself to the seventh floor and mentally smacked myself. How was I supposed to know how to get the room I wanted? I paced back and forth and tried to think of something that would hint to what room I was trying to go to.

A common room...

A neutral common room...

One with a fireplace and... Where we can be ourselves...

Draco must've gotten that room because he didn't want any reminders, maybe he really did consider me and wanted no reminders that we were too different.

The door appeared and I breathed deeply as it opened, I was pleasantly surprised to see the same room, even with the extra doors like last time. As the heavy wooden door closed and concealed me behind it I decided to investigate a bit. The door on the wall behind the couch opened to a bathroom, the most spacious one I've ever seen with a glass shower and a double vanity. The door on the left of the couch opened up into a huge in-suite bedroom, with a queen-sized bed and a walk-in closet. Both sections were decorated in beige and white, couldn't get more neutral than that I guess.

I laid the mum on the bed, trying and mildly succeeding in not moving her too much. There was more than enough space for her and I to sleep without me wildly moving in my sleep and jostling her. I shucked off my wet clothing and peeked inside the closet. It was empty, I don't know what else I was expecting. After a bit of an embarrassing walk to the bathroom, I found a terry cloth robe hanging on a hook by the sinks. I secured it loosely around my waist and went back to crawl into bed. Content to sleep the weekend away in here.

Morning came and went, I checked the mum over to make sure she was alright and though she didn't wake up her breathing had finally evened out. My lack of meals was finally starting to catch up with me and I donned my now dry, wrinkled clothing and cut through various halls to get to my dorm, slipping in and trying to act normal as I made my way to my dorm. I busied myself with packing a bag full of clothes I don't normally wear to put in the room of requirements, in case anything like yesterday felt the need to repeat itself.

After shrinking the bag and changing into a long sweater and a pair of loose fitting jeans I sat in the great hall and had some eggs and bacon. Mere minutes later Harry and Ron stumbled in looking more disgruntled than they do after tests. A few more minutes and Draco walked in with his cronies following behind. Crabbe and Goyle sat next to him on either side until Blaise Zabini pushed Goyle over and claimed Draco's right side.

I pulled my attention away and stared at Harry and Ron who seemed to perk up at seeing me already there.

"Where have you been Hermione? We couldn't find you after it started raining yesterday." Ron asked accusingly.

"Yeah, then we waited for you in the common room until late last night but you never showed. Even Lavender went to check on you in your dorm but said you weren't there." Harry added.

"I got caught in the rain a bit later than I'd like. Ended up getting a slight cold so I went to the infirmary and stayed there for the night." I shrugged helplessly and hoped my eyes didn't betray me.

"About that, everyone's been saying that when you came back you were panicked about something. Some even said you had something in your hands. Some stupid Slytherin said it was a baby but we didn't believe him." Ron remembered.

"Well, I was starting to feel weak when I came back so I was in a hurry... I... Well," I bit my bottom lip. "I-I found Crookshanks outside, seems he fell out of my bedroom window and I was so worried that I was in a bit of a frenzy."

They both looked slightly sad but at the same time, they just went back to eating, for once that was better than anything. I knew they didn't care for my cat, calling him creepy and hideous when they thought I was too busy reading to hear. Normally I'd tell them off but this time it was better that they not ask questions.

Once I had eaten my fill I stood and said my goodbyes to them, making up a lame excuse about going to see Hagrid and visit his creatures. When I was sure no one was following me, I made my way back to my room to grab the rest of the cat food and toys I didn't pack with Crookshanks and went back to the mum.

She had her eyes open lazily, and I could tell she had been moving slightly. Her body was no longer curled into a ball but now she was stretched out. When I came into the bedroom and placed the food next to the bed she craned her neck to look.

"I must admit that doesn't smell very good." She mewled.

"I'm sure but I haven't gotten anything else. We both need a bit of rest so I won't be able to get new food for another week, at least."

I took some of the hard, round bits of food into my hand and held them up for her to eat. I was enjoying stroking her head as she ate until the door to the room opened and revealed a tall, blonde haired prat wearing a look of apprehension.

Draco strode into the room naturally, letting the wooden door close behind him as he made his way to the open bedroom door. He stopped at the threshold and looked at me, his gaze a bit unnerving. "That her?"

"Yes... She's tired, and badly hurt." The mum perked up when he came by and she tried to move more than she should. I had to place a hand gently on her side to keep her from straining the stitches Madam Pomfrey gave her.

"What happened?" He came to stand in her view, which put him closer to me than I wanted him to at the moment.

"I'm not sure." We both looked at her but if there was a story she wasn't ready to share it. Instead, she just kept eating from my hand. "Oh no! I forgot to get Crookshanks' water bowl. I'll have to use whatever's in the bathroom I suppose..."

Just then Draco rolled his eyes and produced a water bottle from his robe pocket, handing it to me wordlessly. At my muttered thanks he turned and started to walk away from me until he stopped in the middle of the living room, listening.

"H-how's Bailey doing?" I looked at his rigid back, not sure where I was going with this but just wanting... something.

"She's fine. The usual." He didn't make a move to leave immediately so I thought of something else.

"Did you get a chance to get food for her yesterday?"

"Yeah, she seemed to like it. Though not as much as the meat I've been giving her."

"That's... Good. So, I see you've got your uniform on. When is Quidditch season starting?"

At that he turned and stalked back towards me, only stopping a few feet in front of me. "Quidditch starts the same time every year. Just tell me what you want."

"I don't-"

"Don't. Lie. To me. You tell me you don't want me worrying about you. You got your wish, so what on earth are you doing? Do you even know?" He challenged, his face coming closer to mine as he glared.

"There was no reason for you to worry it's not like we..." I stood and trailed off, dropping the uneaten food back into the bag and pacing around to the other side of the bed. "It doesn't matter, the mum's gonna stay in here for the day if you want Bailey to see her. After that, I'll have to take her back with me."

"Huh? So, the 'brightest witch of our age' can't admit when she's wrong. Poetic, don't you think." His tone went from frigid anger to teasing.

"Excuse me? What was I wrong about?"

"Me, let's face it. You pushed me away and now you're too proud to admit that you, the big know-it-all that you are, were wrong."

Now I was fuming, I didn't want to admit that the little voice in the back of my head saying I'm only frustrated because of everything going on and because he's right, was indeed right. I walked over and got in his prim and proper face, I didn't care that his smirk only grew at my anger, in fact, it fueled me.

"I am never too proud to admit I'm wrong, and I didn't this time because I'm not. What do you think I would say to you? Oh Draco, I'm so sorry for stating the obvious. I'm so sorry you can't get it through your thick skull that we are too different. You're the Slytherin freaking Prince and excuse me for not wanting to intrude on that. Excuse me for not wanting to become one of the many girls you string along helplessly when you know you have no intention of being with any of them. Yes, because I want to be that one extra accomplishment for you, I want you to be able to say you got a stupid Gryffindor to fall for you like they ever had a chance..."

By the end of it, I was wheezing and felt the sting of tears building in my throat. I blinked rapidly and turned away from him. I hadn't even meant to say even half of that. How could I be so stupid as to go and say all of that, there's his accomplishment right there. Handed it to him on a silver platter, complete with a green, toxic bow.

After a bit the silence was filled with his melodic, low voice, "The last thing I would do, if I wanted to flaunt that I could have you, would be kissing you. I don't know just how dense you think I am, but let me tell you that I don't give a damn about being anyone's golden boy. If everyone wants to fall all over me to earn my favor then fine, why not have someone do your bidding every once in a while? If that makes me the prat you think I am then so be it, but I won't apologize for being me, Hermione. But before you go faulting me make sure you've got your facts straight. I chose to kiss you, I wanted to. I wouldn't care about you the way I do all for some prank, especially not one that would surely take a fortnight's worth of time to set up."

"W-what are you saying?" I couldn't look, I could barely think. Surely, he didn't mean that.

He walked closer, taking hold of my face and lifting it to meet his eyes. Before much of a protest could leave my lips, his were on mine. His soft, insistent lips felt like a breath of fresh air after being underground. I leaned into him, unable to do much else but accept it all. Feeling his hands slide down and wrap around my waist made me feel oddly protected, like he was the other half of my globe. It didn't make sense without him there.

"Humans, ever the odd creature you all are."

My instinct told me to jump away, and I wanted to at that moment more than anything. However, Draco's arms locked me in and he slowly lifted his head away from mine.

"Surely something that's lived as long as you should know when they're killing the mood." He looked at me the entire time, a small smile playing on his face when I didn't pull away.

"Of course, but where would be the fun in staying quiet. Besides I've let you both go on long enough. Where's my daughter?" Her voice was stronger than I've ever heard but she still made no effort to move.

"You still need your rest, I don't think you want her to see you like this. Do you?" I shot back, relishing the bit of normalcy that kept me from answering Draco at that moment.

"Very well, then I demand you keep it down so I can sleep. Or make yourselves useful and take me to the wise woman and see about getting me well again."

Draco chuckled and gave my hips a reassuring squeeze. "You sure got the feisty end of the deal, didn't you?"

I rolled my eyes and tried to wriggle out of his grasp. "Honestly, Draco. I need to get everything up to my dorm so if you don't mind..."

"Ah, but the thing is I do mind. Very much, in fact. If I let you go you'll just find more reasons to avoid me." He gave me a mock look of contemplation. "How about you say you'll date me?"

I couldn't stop the blank look that came across my face, this was not the same boy who made my life a living hell for the last four years. He would never ask, nor would he ask me. However, I guess he did just prove to me that the impossible can happen, didn't he?

"I could never... E-even if I wanted to, Harry and Ron would never..." I pushed out of his slacking grip and started tidying the room at record speeds.

"Are you really going to let those two decide your life for you? I knew you carried them through school but I didn't know they were your bloody handlers." He spat angrily.

"Look, you wouldn't understand! They aren't like that at all, they may not be the most diligent but they are a far cry from dumb. From where I stand you're not fit to talk yourself, considering you surround yourselves with brainless lackeys for your own personal enjoyment."

If things were different, if I was different. Then maybe it could work, maybe I'd just let him whisk me away and see if anything could come out of something toxic. How was I just supposed to give in to him?

Just then it dawned on me. I wasn't opposing because of Harry and Ron's objections, not really. I mean, their feelings on the subject would be less than kind but if it was only a temper tantrum then I could handle it. I was afraid of feeling this way for him. He, who had seemed to torment me since I found out there was a school for children like me. He, who had let me know that even when I thought there was one place I finally belonged, that I was still too different. Too special to be a muggle but too tainted to be a wizard. When everything seemed to revolve around his hatred for me, how could I handle that suddenly becoming something else?

Could I throw away all that? Could I truly let myself have something?

Could I be selfish?


	7. Olive

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter universe or its characters!**

We sat on the edge of the bed, my thoughts of going back to my dorm long forgotten. Tears streaked down my cheeks, leaving wet uncomfortable tracks on my face that I hastily wiped off. I'm not sure how but Draco seemed both panicked and aware of what was happening, wrapping his arms around me and rocking us.

"Tell me why you're crying, please?"

I almost laughed at his reluctant "please", it seemed he really was just a bossy person by nature. "I-I'm crying because" My face tilted up towards the sky and I let out the last of my frustration in a sigh. "This doesn't happen often but, I feel stupid. Stupid that I want to believe you. After every possible thing we've done to each other, I can't fathom how we're going to make it through that."

"I know that but-"

I put my hand up to stop him, tired and tear-streaked. Emotionally drained as I could've been, but I'd made my decision. "I want to try, Draco. I... believe you, I don't think you want to hurt me."

"Of course, I don't." He turned me so he could hug me tightly, his head burrowing into my thick hair. "I should've never hurt you, I should've never listened."

Before I could ask what that last bit meant, I noted that the mum was glaring at us angrily, she had managed to turn herself the slightest bit so she could look at us. I don't know how long we've been in here, and now I cursed the lack of windows in this beautiful room. Brushing Draco off gently I walked toward the door and pressed my ear to it, I could hear some slow walking. Not wanting to chance it I walked backed to the bedroom and sifted through the cat toys to find my wand.

"Tempus Hora," The tip of my wand began to glow blue and glowing blue number hung in the air. "So, it's a quarter passed eight. A bit late for dinner but we should be able to make it back in time."

Arms wound their way around me, his head resting on my shoulder. "So, we're going to do this? You'll give me a chance?"

I nodded, leaning my head back to rest more fully against him. This felt more natural than anything that's happened this entire week. Finally, I pulled out my bag and loaded the last bits of everything inside it. Gathering up mum took a bit of time but we managed to get her in a somewhat comfortable position. A swift kiss, a smile and a smirk, and before I knew it I was walking out of the Room with a feeling of buoyancy that I never knew was possible.

Madam Pomfrey changed mum's bandages and said that her contact had gotten back to her, advising her of a health potion that was safe enough for animals to consume. It would take about two weeks to make one strong enough to heal mum though.

The knowledge weighed heavily on me while I crawled into bed with her, unwilling to let her out of arms reach. There were so many questions I wanted to ask her and I silently cursed the fact that I'd have to leave her tomorrow for classes.

Professor Sprout seemed to take great pleasure in making us tend to the dragon vlaise flowers. Beautiful blue flowers with white centers, they reminded me of the lilies that grew in my mom's garden back at home. The only thing was that the little buggers were hot to the touch and could make quite the uproar when their roots were pulled the wrong way. Needless to say, the room was a mad house, Seamus Finnigan managed to make the most noise and in a matter of seconds passed out, his flower hanging halfway out of its pot, wailing away. Luckily Professor Sprout took over his and two other students' as they carried him away to the infirmary.

Harry and Ron faired, alright. Both of them watched as I calmly tried feeling for the roots in the dirt, preferring to shove most of it out of the way to reveal the roots rather than just pulling. After I successfully pulled my flower free of its pot and had it safely contained in a big glass jar, I helped them both. Eventually just taking Ron's and doing it myself.

"Oh Miss Granger! Splendid job, that is! You'd make a great Herbal Technician, I bet. Have you given any thought to it, dearie?" Professor Sprout seemed gruff at first with her stocky build and wild white hair but her excitement was incredibly contagious.

"Oh well I wouldn't say that I've completely ruled it out..." My blush started blooming from my neck upwards, the rosy color showing and evidently giving Professor Sprout a means for enjoyment.

Harry and Ron have already moved on to discussing quidditch strategies and how excited they were for Ron's first game. From what I could remember of Ron's try-outs, I thought they'd both be just fine. Ron was pretty natural on a broom and was a decent beater and kept the quaffle from flying into Harry and the others.

With nothing else to do and my two friends talking about a sport I couldn't really enjoy I took to talking with Ginny, who's only class with us was Herbology.

"Hey, Gin. How did you do with the flower?" I questioned, at a lost for anything else.

"I think I did rather well, considering I've already finished. Ron and Harry discussing quidditch again?" She leaned over and watched them, though I swear I could see her cheeks turn slightly pink.

"Yeah, not really something I care to listen to for years to come. So, what are your plans for winter break? I don't suppose you're staying here?"

She shook her head vigorously, her eyes only meeting mine for a minute before they were drawn to something else. "No, mum is planning on picking us up from the train, Harry said he's even thinking about joining us! That should be fun. What about you?"

"Going back home to my parents, like every year. You guys do sound like you'll be having most of the fun though, I'm almost jealous. "

"Oh, you know mum won't mind you coming along too. 'Plenty of room', she always says." She mocked her mom almost perfectly, and I didn't want to be the one that told her she would probably be the spitting image of Molly when she grew up.

"Yeah, maybe I could come over before the next semester starts. Although eight Weasley's stuffed into a house plus two more children are sure to break some kind of housing codes." I giggled along with Ginny and the bell rang.

"Well you've got about six weeks to think about it!" She called over her shoulder as she rejoined her own friends on their way to her next class.

Charms flew by and thankfully there was little partnering in Potions, although my seat did get switched with Pansy Parkinson's on the grounds of "Two certain Gryffindor's not paying attention". So, I was put next to Draco who lightly ran his finger over my thigh countless times, tickling me and almost making me laugh out loud in the middle of a lecture.

When lunch rolled around I ate scarcely before getting up and going back to my dorm to check on mum, who was laying square in the middle of my bed.

"How are you feeling?" I stroked the side of her head as I sat where she could see me.

"I've been better, still feels like it did when you found me. If it's going to take two weeks to heal me then I wish to see my daughter... Please?"

I smiled, the reluctance with the word 'please' must be an epidemic. "Well, I think that can be arranged. However, there are some questions you haven't answered. A bit rude to make demands without giving something in return, right?"

"What could you possibly want to know about an old cat?"

"What's your name? I've had nothing to call you but 'mum the past few days."

"Olive, my owners called me Olive."

"Lovely name. How did you get so hurt? Bailey said you'd both been living in a box. How'd you go from that to terribly bleeding?"

"It's a long story. It's true, Bailey and the rest of my children and I were in a large box next to the human market. My previous owner was killed, their family brought us there. I'd long since taught my children to only talk to those they know, a sentient cat isn't the strangest thing in this life but it can also spell bad things for us. I was scared for them, but when I saw the way the humans took them and wanted to care for them... I couldn't say no. I watched them all dwindle down until it was just myself and Bailey left. At the time I called her Nani, she always wanted to go and explore but I've seen the people in that alley. One night it was raining and she spotted some food across the square, I was growing weaker without eating steadily so I told her she could go. When she didn't come back I panicked, going out and searching for her myself."

She laid there for a long time, breathing and not saying a word, until, "I went to check the neighboring alley, thinking maybe she'd forgotten which one we lived in. That's when I came across a woman, she was the most pristine thing in that grimy alley. She seemed to watch me closely before saying 'strays will be the next thing I change after I deal with our mudblood problem'. Then there was nothing but a splitting plain in my stomach, I couldn't move. Even when it started to rain I just had to stay there, under that window covering half of my body. I don't know how long I'd been there until you showed up. All I could do was hope that my precious Nani, our Bailey, was safe."

For once she was calm, not angry, just a sad calmness that washed over us both as we thought about the words that hung in the air. I picked her up and felt her curl up into a ball, wincing but doing it anyway. When we got to the Room of Requirements I was met with an alarming site. The headmaster and Professor Snape looking around the makeshift common room.


	8. Intruders

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Harry Potter universe or it's characters!**

"Ah, Miss Granger. What wonderful timing you have." Snape remarked dryly.

What do I say to that? What were they even doing in the room made for Draco and I? Nothing I read seemed to say anything about the room staying the way it was last summoned, so how in the world are we all standing here?

"H-hello, headmaster. Hello, professor." I bowed my head meekly, hoping they weren't waiting for some explanation as to why I was there. So many things were running through my mind and every excuse that came up was an obvious lie.

"Relax, Miss Granger, I can assure you that nor you or Mister Malfoy are in any immediate trouble." Dumbledore smiled softly, almost reassuringly. "However, I am afraid that something drastic must be done."

I paled at that, what could be drastically done about us? Sure, we weren't supposed to be on the restricted seventh floor but I highly doubted that would warrant any more than some points taken and a week's detention. "What do you mean, sir?"

"An example must be made and I feel you are the perfect candidate. Nothing to worry about, nothing required more than a strong will. Until then it is quite the hour to be hanging around a joint common room, yes? How about seeing that the precious creature in your arms receives its proper care."

He nodded politely and as always, that was my cue to leave. Even if I had more questions than answers. I walked in a daze, heading back towards the main hall as I tried to remember what I would normally be doing at this time.

"What did he mean by making an example? Do you think he plans to hurt you, or the boy? Malfoy, was it?" Olive seemed to notice that Dumbledore, the tall wizard, was to be respected. It was only when she noticed I wasn't speaking or moving in any particular direction that she decided to voice my own thoughts.

"He would never harm a student. I-I'm sure of it. Dumbledore just isn't like that." I cleared my throat, my voice instantly lowering to a whisper. "You can call him Draco."

"Ah, very well. So, if he isn't planning on hurting you or Draco, then who could he be setting the example for?"

"I... Don't know. He has a lot of friends in the ministry, but what would they have with the two of us. As far as everyone else is concerned we're two rivals by mere association." I gasped and hurried over to the great hall to look to for very blonde student. "That's never stopped Dumbledore from knowing things before, if he knows that he and I have our joined common room then he might know-"

"Hermione!"

I scrubbed my face with my hands angrily, a small groan pouring out of my mouth as I glared at a fumbling Harry and Ron. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"We didn't know you would scare that easily! It's not like there was any other option, with you running to the great hall like someone's set you on fire." Ron defended.

"Yeah, what had you so on edge anyway?" Harry piped in.

"Nothing, I just got caught off guard. What did you two need me for?"

"We were hoping you'd come study with us. You've been awfully barren these past few days." Harry pointed out, then did a double take. "Whose cat is that, 'Mione?"

"Oh... This is my new cat. Crookshanks had to... Go live with my parents, he got a nasty cold from all the dust in the air, you know." I wanted to smack myself, I couldn't believe just how bad of a liar I was.

"I didn't know cats could catch colds." Ron stated, looking a bit apprehensive but soon ushering all three of us towards the common room.

I shrugged softly, trying to pass as nonchalant when inside I was screaming. When we got to the portrait of the fat lady and muttered the password I saw that a lot of students were milling about, working on one assignment or another as the semester came to a close.

"What do you guys need help with?" I tossed my bag next to me and pulled out the homework I had yet to finish, frowning when I saw that it was more than I originally thought.

"Potions, Charms, History, and Herbology." Ron tossed out.

"Care of Magical Creatures and Divination." Harry finished.

"So, everything?" I scoffed. I sighed at picked up the first on my pile of work, Divination it is.

After two hours of studios working, from me of course. I sat back and smiled. My pile of eight assignments now stood at two. One essay for Care of Magical Creatures and finishing the second draft of my History essay. Harry and Ron snuck glances at my finished work, Ron pulling my charms questions out from the middle of the pile when he thought I wasn't looking.

"You know if you two bothered with more than Quidditch and worrying about the dark arts then you would know how to do all this."

"We do bother with school, 'Mione, it's just that every year there's something different. I can't just tell evil to wait while I finish my N.E.W.T's." Harry defended.

"Be that as it may, I think we both know that school is not one of your priorities Harry." I argued, silencing Ron with a fierce look when it seemed he was about to protest.

"Geez, Hermione. You sound more like their mother than their friend." Lavender piped up as she came to sit on the sofas with Cho Chang and Parvati Patil in tow.

"This has nothing to do with you, Lavender." I rolled my eyes, wondering why she seemed to be more involved with us than usual this year.

"I'm just trying to stop you from ending up a lonely old hag with no friends. No one likes to be nagged, least of all by a smart know-it-all." She sat defiantly next to Ron, the other girls taking their seats right next to her and Squishing the boy to the edge of the couch.

I looked at both Ron and Harry, waiting to see their reactions but both of them were too busy squirming around uncomfortably. Blushing and muttering quietly to the girls sitting next to them. I was shocked, how could they not see anything wrong with what was happening? Did they really need their embarrassment more than me?

"Fine then, the lot of you can fail if you want to."

At that, their heads snapped up, but I was already storming off, Olive in my arms and my bag strung lazily over my shoulder as I made my way out of the common room. Once out of the portrait I looked up, willing the tears in my eyes to recede at least until I could find somewhere quiet.

I decided on the lake outside overlooking the forest. I sat on the green, dry grass with my knees pulled up to my chest. Olive wanted to lay beside me, claiming my grip was becoming much too tight.

Just then someone came and sat next to me. "What's wrong?" Draco asked, staring out at the lake like he could find out what I thought was so saddening about it.

"Nothing, just... Doing some thinking."

"Wrong answer, try again."

I looked over and let out a soft giggle. "I've been told I'm nagging. Not only that but I think that I've lost my friends in favor of hormones."

"They disapproved that heavily of you being with me?"

"No, not about you. Harry and Ron have something in common that I don't, I can't compete with that."

After some time spent just sitting there, Draco stood up. Extended a hand to me and the moment I touched his, we apparated. I sat on the stone in front of the door to our common room. Once inside I felt my eyes grow wide.

"Oh no, we left Olive!" I exclaimed.

"Who?"

"Bailey's mum! She was next to me by the lake!"

Another moment and he was back in the room with a freaked-out Olive. After handing her to me he apparated again, coming back with a slightly stunned Bailey. We set both of them on the bed, watching Bailey as she cautiously stepped up to her mom. Olive was straining to move and I almost put my hand on her stomach to stop her until Bailey laid on top of her.

"Mummy, what happened?"

"Just a bit of a scratch, dear. What about you, where did you go?"

"I got lost in the people, then Master saved me. I'm sorry I didn't come back."

I nearly teared up and pulled Draco out into the living room area while they caught up. While I explained the story Olive told me, his face scrunched up and his eyes narrowed.

"Maybe it was just some bitter old witch, I don't want to jump to conclusions."

"What do you mean? Do you know who that woman might be?" I clutched his arm tightly, not sure if I even wanted to know.

"I... I'm not sure. It sounded like someone my father would work with but there are so many possibilities with that vague description that I don't want to bother." He gathered me into his arms, looking down at me with that worried expression. "Potter and Weasel will come around, they're idiots if they think they can go through anything without you."

"They're not that bad..." I defended.

He just quirked an eyebrow at me and we sat there, silently contemplating our own thoughts. After a moment he broke the silence.

"Do you just want to stay here tonight? I can tell something has you on edge and you need the break of not having to deal with dumb and dumber."

"I don't have a change of clothes here, and neither do you for that matter."

He gave me a peck on the lips and a devilish grin. "I guess we'll just have to make due, won't we?" We both laughed as I shook my head. "Seriously, what's bothering you?"

I sighed, if it involved both of us it would be wrong not to tell him. "Dumbledore and Snape know about this room. I don't know why they would care but Dumbledore says he wants to make an 'example' of us."

His face became even harder, but instead of angry he was more cautious. "I can't imagine either. If they knew about us, why would the headmaster want to hurt us over it? You would think this would be right up his bloody, everyone-get-along, alley. It's Snape that concerns me, if he were the one that found it and then reported it to Dumbledore seeking punishment, I could understand that. Maybe Dumbledore doesn't want to but Snape is pushing him to. After all this floor is restricted and I think the Room of requirements is a big reason for that."

"I have to admit, I'd never thought about it that way. The way Snape stood in the room looking at me wasn't friendly, that's for sure. I didn't notice any particular anger, then again his whole demeanor is angry."

Again, we sat, his fingers starting to stroke lazy circles on my back and hips. Occasionally he would kiss my hair, murmuring to himself. Eventually, Bailey strolled in, asking for food.

"I'll go get some things from my dorm." I stated as a moved for the door.

"So, you'll actually stay?" He raised his eyebrows and chuckled, a full laugh escaping at my shy nod.

The walk to my dorm gave me a chance to think, the closer I got to the Fat Lady, the more I felt my stomach churn. I sincerely hoped that the boys weren't in there, or at least if they were they would have a good explanation for themselves. Hesitantly, I pushed open the picture and peeked my head in, met with an empty common room and a thankful sigh from my lips. In my dorm, there was no Pansy in site and our third roommate laid on her own bed passed out. My drawers held a white v-neck and a pair of shorts my mom had given me one Christmas, a forest green velvet material with pockets. My sleepwear usually consisted of short but I opted for some long pants I reserved for the winter months and a pink tank top.

When I made my way back down with my full bag slung across my shoulder I nearly screamed when I saw Harry sitting on a recliner in the corner. I wanted to brush right past him but he was staring right at me. His eyebrow raised.

"You left your charms homework with Ron." Was all he said, holding out the piece of parchment. When I got close enough to take it, he pulled his hand back. "Where did you go earlier? You just took off out of nowhere."

"It may have seemed that way to someone who wasn't paying any attention. I didn't just leave, I was told to stop nagging you two and clearly you both don't need me when you're happy to ignore me." I snapped.

"We didn't ignore you!"

"Oh really? Can you tell me what I said just before I left? No? Can you tell me the answer to the last Divinations question? How about the topic I said would be good for the History essay? Face it Harry, you and Ron don't care about anything I say unless they're you-know-who related. If you want answers for assignments then you're all too open to have me but forget actually learning anything!"

"Oh, sod off 'Mione! We may not be as smart as you, we may not stick our nose into every book in existence but we aren't stupid. We don't just take everything the teacher's say and use you. If that were the case we wouldn't know how to cast a single spell or fly a broom, you just want to feel like we need you but guess what? We don't!"

By the end of it both Harry and I were huffing, tearing stinging at my eyes as I snatched my assignment out of his grasp and ran out of the common room. I didn't care about who saw me I just needed to get away, far away. I made it to the seventh floor and into the room before I collapsed on my knees, my fists clenched as the tears flowed down my cheeks.

Arms around me, lifting me up and carrying me onto a soft bed. A whispered, "What happened?", as we sat until my tears dried and my face felt stiff and hot.

"Harry said they didn't need me, th-that I was only telling myself that so that I would feel wanted." I sniffled, noting the tension in the air as Bailey came over and rested a small paw on my knee.

"I'll kill them." Draco said furiously, his anger rolling off him like a dense fog.

"No, if they don't need me then fine. Please, just... I want to go to bed." I pleaded, my heart cracking in several directions.

He nodded, the veins in his neck still prominent as he got up and left the room. With him gone I stood up and gather my night clothes, shuffling into the bathroom and starting a steaming hot shower. The water felt amazing and I stood there for a long while, soaking it in before washing my thick chocolate hair.

Everything was peaceful, I stewed with my thoughts of Harry and our argument, wondering if he meant what he said. Then the door opened and I actually did scream bloody murder.

"Hey! What are you trying to do, blow my ears out? I just want to brush my teeth." Draco defended, a trace of mirth in his tone.

"That couldn't wait until after I got out?!" I rubbed at some of the fog that had taken over the glass shower and saw Malfoy with a towel thrown over his shoulder and his toothbrush in hand.

"It could've but what would be the fun in that?" He gazed back at me through the fogging glass and shot me a wolfish smile, making me blush and turn back toward the water.

When I had washed every part of my body twice and he still hadn't left I huffed and rubbed at the fog so I could see out again. "How long do you need to brush your teeth?"

"Dental hygiene is very important, Granger. You never know what's in your mouth." He winked.

"Ugh, well could you please hand me a towel?" I tried to ignore the heat rising in my face, telling myself it was just the warmth from the shower.

Draco paused his teeth scrubbing and picked up one of the white cotton towels that were hanging off the walls and held it out to me, a foot away from the shower door. My hand reached around the door, trying to keep as much of me covered as I could but I still couldn't reach.

Another glare and then an idea came to my mind. "Oh, Draco do you mind putting the towel on me? I can't reach it from here." I pleaded innocently.

His eyes glazed over for a second before he came closer to me, unfolding the towel and letting it spread out, when he got close enough I yanked it away and closed the shower door, letting some of the water from the spout soak in and I secured it around me and came out.

He glared as I left to get dressed, a triumphant smile on my face and my mind clear of unpleasantries at least for the time being. I was secured in bed by the time he came out, long sleep pants on but no shirt. I got to see the way his stomach muscles tightened when he bent over to pick up Bailey and Olive and place them safely on the couch. When he slid into bed there was enough room for us not to touch if we didn't want to, but he ate up the distance and wrapped his around my waist.

I was tired, but that wasn't my excuse for why I sank willingly into his embrace. It just felt good to be held, to feel like everything was okay even if it wasn't. I accepted his kisses and even licked his bottom lip when he pulled away. The heat in his eyes was magnificent, the stormy grey making my stomach clench for whole new reasons I wasn't experienced with. The night drew on and we fell asleep together, my mind registering nothing more than my comfort and contentment to have this person seemingly care so much about me.


	9. Loud and Out

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Harry Potter universe! All rights to J. K. Rowling.**

Come morning, I was feeling comfortably warm and didn't want to bother with getting up. I noticed that his arms hadn't really moved and I was still cradled tightly to his chest. His face was inches from mine and I studied his features like I did every time I got to look at him like this. It was much like the other time, he was boyish and his features were softened. This time a small smile lit up his face as his eyes opened slowly.

"Good morning." He gave me a soft, slow kiss. Seemed he was content to lay here like I was.

"Good morning to you too. Is it Saturday?" I giggled.

"Is that what they're calling Tuesdays now?"

He rolled over onto his back, taking me with him and letting me lay across his bare chest. When I came dangerously close to falling asleep again I got up, stretched and wrapped the blanket we were sleeping under around me as I got my clothes for the day gathered. He seemed less than appreciative that I had stolen his warmth and sauntered over to me, glaring playfully at my embarrassed glances. We greeted Olive and Bailey when we got in the living area, Bailey was curled under her mother happily and we decided to leave them in there to spend the day together. Bailey could bring her mother food and take care of her while she healed.

Draco stepped out of the room first, waving me out when he saw the coast was clear and taking my hand as we descended the stairs.

"We're going to get seen like this, you know?" I hesitantly tried to pull my hand away.

"What you don't want to be seen with me?" He dodges the question, holding my hand tighter. "We're going to be made examples of anyway, no reason to hide if we're just going to be called out on it right?"

I rolled my eyes, unsure if that was his real reasoning. There were so many things that didn't make a lot of sense when it came to him, things he said were always strange. I thought about asking but the looks and whispers caught my attention. We were walking down the main hall now, almost every students' eyes on us. Whispers were everywhere and eventually, people just gave up and talked over each other.

"Is this a prank?"

"Did she lose a bet?

"Better yet, did he lose a bet?"

"Why's he smirking if he's the one who lost?"

So much chatter and I shot a glance up at Draco to see he was smirking, walking confidently with his arms lazily swinging down by his sides. His hold on me never faltered, never even tightened unless I tried to let go. He was the perfect picture of calm.

We walked up with the stampede of children and I tried to go towards my table, only to be pulled in the opposite direction and dragged toward the Slytherin table. Everyone there looking at us in wide-eyed shock. I wanted to beg him to let me go but by the time I found my voice he was directing me to sit on the bench and it seemed kind of useless then.

He sat next to me and watched me, I bit my lip and tried to keep my eyes away from my house table but that, unfortunately, left me with no one to look at but the people glaring at me in the Slytherin robes. My eyes met with Pansy Parkinson's and the outrage in her was volatile and deadly, her face took on a more curious look as she came to sit across from Draco.

"So, Drakey, are you babysitting now?" She bats her eyelashes, looking only at him as if he'll agree.

"I've told you countless times not to call me that, my mother wouldn't even call me that. Besides, there's no reason to babysit my girlfriend." More chatter, rising like a symphony.

"I never knew you were into prude's, I must've been too much for you."

While she storms off he shudders in disgust, I so badly want to ask him if he's been with her that way but my mouth feels glued shut. Blaise Zabini sits in Pansy's vacated spot and watches the two of us for a moment.

"You ready for the new season to start? You missed last practice and Nott thinks you're getting lazy." He says casually, taking a bite of toast.

"It takes a lazy prat to call someone as much, I was busy last time. Besides, our first game is against Ravenclaw. Not much competition if you ask me."

While I may not have appreciated the Quidditch talk, the return to normalcy was a blessing. Blaise clears his throat. "I reckon Quidditch isn't your speed, ay, Granger? What do you do for fun?"

My eyes grew wide. "Well, I... I read and practice spells..." I'm so boring!

He looked at me and pinched the bridge of his nose before looking up. "Okay, how about we go to practice and then try wizard's chess?"

"I don't know, I'm not really into wizard's chess because I always win." I cringed, not liking how arrogant that came out. I don't always win, sometimes Ron has his moments.

Blaise just threw his head back and let out a loud bark, "Ha! Fat chance of you winning against me. However, I'm game to let you try."

I smiled at his competitive grin, his happiness somewhat contagious as I felt myself relax. I even managed to tear apart and eat two pieces of toast while Draco chatted with Blaise and kept his around securely around my waist.

By now the chatter took a back seat in my mind, I was finally relaxing. Even shooting glance towards the Gryffindor table, slightly saddened when Ron and Harry wouldn't meet my eyes.

A cleared throat, then rumbling bass voice shattered that. "Now children, settle down." Dumbledore stood in front of the head table. "I have a few announcements to make. I'd like to congratulate Sarah Frostborne on her exemplary in-house tournament win last Saturday." He paused until the claps died down, mostly from Ravenclaw students. "Next I'd like to welcome our new head boy and girl, Draco and Malfoy and Hermione Granger!"

I blinked, and blinked, and blinked. Draco had to pull me up from the bench by my shoulders before I moved and walk up to the podium with him. My eyes sought out the previous head boy and girl, two Ravenclaw students, but they seemed to be deep in their own thought.

"Headmaster, I don't understand," I whispered, unable to stand it. "We already had a head boy and girl, why change it in the middle of the year?"

"Examples, Miss Granger, examples." He smiled and said a few more words to the student body before leaning slightly down again. "I wish to see the two of you in my office, the free period should be soon enough."

I looked at Draco who just eyed the white-haired man before giving a solemn nod and ushering me back to the table. Most of the table congratulated Draco, Blaise being the only one who congratulated us both.

When the bell rang I got up and started absently walking to charms, seating myself in my usual seat automatically. When Harry and Ron entered the class, I looked up and saw them give me curious glares, taking seats in the back instead of sitting with me. I don't know what I had hoped would happen but the sting of rejection clenched at my heart again. The dull ache stayed with me through class and as I walked down the hall to get to potions. I didn't want to try again, the ache that was already residing there thumped heavily and made me want to tear my heart out.

Instead, I silently took the seat next to the one I knew Draco would soon occupy and looked down at the desk as I pulled out parchment and quills just to keep me busy.

"Don't let them eat at you, it'll only make you miserable." He whispered as he sat next to me, his hand reassuringly rubbing my shoulder as he kissed the side of my hair.

I couldn't say anything to that, I didn't know if I wanted to take his advice or yell at him for thinking I could just so easily forget my only friends. Instead, "You're awfully comfortable touching me in front of everyone, why is that? I never pictured you for the exhibitionist type. Although maybe I shouldn't be surprised"

His eyes rolled, looking a bit funny with the ever-graying bags under his eyes. "I'm a Malfoy, I don't believe in doing things half-assed." He sighed. "Even if it does mean doing it recklessly."

I'd just about had enough with his crazy whispers and was about to tell him as much but Professor Snape entered the class from his office, standing stiffly in from and crossing his arms as he took in the situation. Me across the room by his favorite student, Harry and Ron brooding in seats next to each other, and just about every student in the class, especially the girls, glaring daggers at me.

"Alright, today we'll be brewing Draught of Peace. I trust you all brought your textbooks, turn to page 453. Work with the person next to you, good luck." With that last, sarcastically uttered word he strode off, back towards his office.

The eruption of talk and movement made me flinch away from the aisle, unconsciously bumping into Draco's side and turning to look at him.

"Here, take this cauldron. I think this potion is just what you need today." He handed the bulky, black thing over to me while he gritted his teeth, glaring at something off near the front of the class."

"Don't. It's not their fault, I just never knew they felt that way... I just wasn't ready for it I suppose." I looked over at him setting down the ingredient a bit harder than necessary and rested my hand on his arm. "What did you mean by 'doing it recklessly'?"

"Oh, it's nothing really."

"I'm not stupid, Malfoy. I have a brain and I have ears, I hear those weird things you say and I think I deserve an explanation." I urged, tired of everything and barely paying attention to what I was doing, too caught up in watching him out of the corner of my eye.

"Hold on! We're not ready for the eye of horned owl yet, if we don't do this right it'll turn into Amortentia, you know that. I'll... I'll tell you everything later, okay?"

I nodded and took a deep breath, I needed a change of pace. A break from over thinking everything that's happening. First Harry and Ron decide that all they need is Quidditch and each other and then Dumbledore goes and changes head boy and girl to Draco and me? I don't understand. It's Harry that he usually wants. It's Harry that gets the life-changing occurrences, not me. A boyfriend, no friends, and a meddling headmaster with an agenda. No wonder my head felt fit to burst open at any possible moment.

"Stir for me, will you?" Draco touched my shoulder and took my hand, bringing it to the cauldron and making me grasp the wooden spoon handle.

I stirred lazily, trying to convince myself to relax, taking deep breaths and willing my eyes closed when it seemed my face would get stuck in a permanent scowl.

"Almost done... A drop of living wood sap... Alright, I think we've done it." Draco stopped my hand and looked into the cauldron, smiling at the light blue hue in satisfaction as he pulled the spoon up, getting a decent amount on it and holding it gently out to me. At my raised eyebrow and leaning away he sighed. "You need it, you're not having any bloody luck relaxing on your own, now are you?"

I sighed, knowing we should take potions that haven't been properly checked yet, but one more look at the blue hue and the same color in the text book had me placing my lips softly on the spoon and drinking the soft potion. It assaulted my nose first, smelling of fresh air, the orchids and other flowers in my mom's garden, new parchment, and a musky mint scent that seemed way too familiar. It tasted like pumpkin juice, licorice wands, and chocolate.

While Snape made his rounds to the different pairs I felt a smile spread across my face, a giggle erupted from my mouth when I looked at Draco and the headache that was forming before dissipated. Other than the way the room brightened up, everything seemed normal.

"As expected, your potion is textbook perfect, Mr. Malfoy. Take this." Snape seemed like the last thing he wanted to be doing was praising a student so openly as he passed a rather thick looking vial of our potion into Draco's hand.

"Thank you, professor." For once it seemed like he meant it.

The class was over and our free period had me wandering back towards my dorm to take a nap, smiling the whole way until arms wrapped firmly around my waist and turned me around toward a different hall.

"We're to meet Dumbledore in his office, remember?" Draco's voice was mocking, his grip tight as always.

"No, I forgot." Normally I would've scolded myself but this time I just walked with him happily, basking in the warmth of his back on my back.

"Maybe I should give you a relaxation potion more often..." He chuckles as he guides me toward the headmaster's office, kissing my head and cheek periodically and showing me a smile I hoped I'd always get to see.


	10. A Familiar Face

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter universe or its characters. All rights reserved to J. K. Rowling.**

"Ah, have a seat."

Dumbledore sat in his chair behind his desk, it felt weird to be coming here without Harry but not unpleasant. I doubt I could feel unpleasant about anything right now even if I tried. I sat in the seat next to Draco, who looked less than thrilled to be in front of the kind old man.

"This past week has been tiring, I'm sure. So, I hope you will forgive me for speaking primarily to you, Draco. I know our dear Hermione is, less than prepared." Draco stiffened but before he could say anything, Dumbledore continued. "Hogwarts is changing, and in the interest of student welfare I will be gone for some time. Two students must find it in themselves and in those around them to take care of some most unpleasant matters."

"Why are you leaving? You can't just do that... Can you?" I unsteadily blurted out, only barely managing to fix my blunder at the end.

"I'm afraid it is unavoidable, Miss Granger. My departure will herald valuable information. Someone," a pointed look at Draco, "will change, and in that change, we may find that the answers we seek are closer than we imagined."

"What are you talking about? What unpleasant matters? What information do you need so badly that you'd leave in the middle of the school year?" Draco demanded, rising out of his chair and glaring at the wise man.

"We don't have the time to explain, I'm afraid. Miss Granger, if you can please stand and step to your right a bit."

I wanted to frown but stood up and moved anyway. The step to the right brought me further away from Draco so that we were about a foot apart, both of us looking at him dumbfounded until three people burst into Dumbledore's office, marching up to the side of his desk.

Two of them had dark brown hair, unkempt and wildly sticking up everywhere. One was short and stout while the other was tall and muscular with a goatee lining his mouth. The third one was the one that had my eyes growing wide and feeling as if, for the first time in an hour, I was panicking. He had long, blonde hair that cascaded elegantly over his shoulders. His face was pinched as it always was and held high with his steely eyes bringing out the wrinkles etched in his face. Lucius Malfoy was standing and smirking haughtily at Dumbledore before turning towards us, his eyebrows raising slightly at the sight of his son and his mouth turning down in disgust as his gaze flitted over me.

"Albus, what is the meaning of this?" It seemed his curiosity got the best of him.

"I was just discussing how fighting on school grounds is against not only school policy but also Ministry regulations. Isn't that right, Lucius?" Professor Dumbledore stood silently, his movements staying relaxed and graceful like always.

"Hmm, must not have been much of a fight if it was between my son and... Well," He turned to Draco, not bothering to look at me. "Off to class with you. Don't go wasting your time, however effortless solving the problem may be."

Without correcting him, just a smirk thrown over his shoulder, Draco turned and swiftly made his way to the door and left. When a sneer was thrown at me I realized that was meant to be my dismissal as well, I hightailed it to the door. My brain working double time to clear the fog of the potion out of my mind. When I closed the door behind me, my hand was grabbed and I was being dragged rather forcefully down the stairs.

We didn't stop, he didn't stop, until we were firmly behind the Room of Requirements door. He pressed me roughly against the room's door and held me here, his arms on either side of me. The way he heaved, his breathing ragged and his head hanging low, scared me. I reached out and touched his hair and for the first time in who knows how many years, he flinched. It was a full body jolt like I had burned him where I touched, and almost immediately after he crumpled into my arms. His head fell into my chest and his arms and fingers dug into my waist as he collapsed onto his knees.

For a while, more than I was comfortable with, we stayed there. I was effectively stuck, glued in the position he left me in while he stayed like that. Even when my feet urged me to shift positions, even when I felt a bit of moisture fall onto my thigh, and even when my strong prince let out a choking sob.

What do you do? How do you respond to the pain of the one you... Love. Did I love him? What does that mean? We'd made love, sure. However, did just one night of that mean you loved someone? Or did you love them because they had an amazing body, a cute face, and a layered personality? How would one love... Him?

Bailey came slowly skulking over to us, first choosing to hide and scope out what was going on from the safety of the bedroom doorway. When she saw the state he was in her cautious steps turned into bounding leaps and before I knew it she was patting at him, anywhere she could reach. Then she turned on me, trying to scratch my legs and yelling at me, it didn't last long. Draco snuck his shaky and out and stopped her, just resting his hand on her head. It was then I finally found some words.

"Come with me."

I held his face gently and urged him to stand, taking his hand and guiding him to the bathroom with me. I knew he watched me without seeing me as I turned on the water, adjusting the temperature until I was sure it was hot enough. The vacancy in her tired, drawn eyes told me everything. He wasn't ready to talk, not yet. I ushered him to take off his clothes, choosing efficiency over modesty and staying in there until he was under the hot spray.

The bedroom was just as we left it, tidy except for some clothes strung here and there which I picked up and folded, putting them into some of the drawers where I knew our stuff was. It took me a moment to find where he put his flannel sleeping pants but I managed, throwing them onto the side of the bed as I chatted stoically with Olive and Bailey.

"Has something happened? Well, obviously something has but is there an immediate danger?" Olive was still prone, only seeming to have moved a few inches from her normal laid out position.

"Why's master so sad? What happened?" Bailey seemed distraught, her mother purring and trying to comfort her but I could tell it wasn't having the desired effect.

"I'm... I'm not sure exactly what happened myself. If I had to guess it would be seeing his father? Maybe it was something that was said to him?" I sighed, closing my drawer as I clenched my white nightgown in my hand. "Dumbledore, our headmaster, called us into his office today. My recollection of exactly what was said is a little fuzzy but there was something about him leaving the school for something important. Then out of nowhere three people waltz into his office, one of them was-"

"My father." Draco stood in the doorway, clutching a towel around his waist, beads of water still dripping down his chest from his hair that clung to his face. "My father was there in the office, I knew he worked for the Ministry but coming to the school always seemed like something out of his purview. If Dumbledore's dealing with him I'm afraid Dumbledore's not leaving of his own free will."

While he gathered his pants and turned away from us I had a feeling that wasn't the reason he was so upset. "What does that mean? What does your father do for the Ministry?"

"He's in charge of the Disciplinary Board, mainly for prisoners and sentencing. The only reason he'd had for coming directly to the school would be either for me or to arrest someone." He turned his back to us sliding the pants on before dropping the towel and throwing it carelessly into a corner of the room.

"If he's here to arrest Dumbledore there must be some mistake, Dumbledore hasn't done anything wrong."

"As far as we know. Dumbledore is part of the Ministry but that also means he has a set of rules to adhere to. I'm not privy to them, I didn't care enough to study them, but if there are any infractions found by the Ministry they can strip him of his status as Headmaster, and possibly sentence him to time."

I let the words sink in. What could he have done that would warrant any of that. Sure, Hogwarts wasn't the top-ranking wizard academy but it was definitely in the top five percent, not to mention its accomplishments went on for miles. Albus Dumbledore was known the world over for being an exemplary wizard and collector of antique magical relics but what mischief could something like that conjure up while handling a school of nearly five thousand students?

"We can't confirm anything yet, besides, winter break is in two weeks and removing our headmaster in the middle of the school year could be more hazardous to the school's reputation."

No matter how many times I rubbed my eyes or pushed back my hair everything just seemed to be disjointed. Nothing fit, like we were taking too many pieces from too many different puzzles. I changed into my gown and turned back to face everyone, seeing Draco already ushering the two cats towards the couch. Sleepily, I got in bed and waited for him, still wanting some answers.

When he settled in and held me close by my waist I almost chickened out but finally just whispered what had been on my mind since potions today. "Why is that you always whisper things? Is it something to do with your father?"

He stayed still, not answering for a long while, taking so long that I began to think he hadn't heard me. "Yes. He... It's not like he can change his values as easily as I seem to. In truth, I never really wanted to hate anyone. It never even occurred to me that there would be witches and wizards born of Muggles and my first reaction to the thought was that they were almost cool in a way. They knew things about Muggle technology and ways that I would never know. They were almost foreign to me."

A deep breath, a sigh, and a reassuring squeeze from me. "My father had always hated them, never told me exactly why when I was younger but he always made sure to tell me that we were better. Nothing was better than a pureblood and there was no blood purer than a Malfoy's. I understood it, as I grew older I started to resent the way my father taught me to view others, it made it hard to make friends outside of the other pureblood families like Goyle, Crabbe, Greengrass, even Parkinson."

That made him pause, shuddering and kissing my hair. "However, there was no debating with him. Whenever I disobeyed he would discipline me. As I got bigger, they got worse. The house elves tended to me and made sure to keep it out of my mother's sight. Once I learned to just do what he wanted everything just seemed so much easier, it was easier to hate than to wallow in pain. Even if making other's feel pain didn't take mine away it seemed worth it."

"That's a horrible way to live. Everyone needs their own choices in life." I stroked his cheek, trying to infuse some of my warmth into him.

"Indeed. When I started to talk to you it was strictly for Bailey's sake, I could've asked others. Even a Ravenclaw would've been better than asking you but... It was always you, for some reason, it was always you I wanted to ask." His eyes settled on me but never settled themselves. "He's going to hate everything about this if... When he finds out. I can't keep thinking that. I don't care if he disciplines me until I can't move, I just want you to be safe. Although the safest thing would've been to keep away from you."

I buried my head in the crook of his neck and took a deep breath, "I may not be safest but I don't want to be anywhere else right now. If it was that dangerous to get found out why did you go flaunting us in front of all and sundry today?"

"Well, part of it was because I'm a bit territorial, I like others to know what belongs to me." He let loose a small smile. "The other part is what I told you, the hiding is what I've been doing this whole time. Hiding the fact that I didn't want any of this the way it turned out. I'm proud to be a Slytherin, I do like having people look up to me, but I don't want to hide everything that makes me happy."

He laid his hand on my own cheek and stroked it, only then did I realize I was crying. Warm, wet tears stung at my eyes and only got harder the more I acknowledged how terrible he must've been feeling. My face was hot with anger and despair, not even getting better when he pulled me tightly to him and silenced my sobs with his own insistent lips.


	11. Reoccurring Pain

**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights of anything in the Harry Potter universe or it's characters. All rights reserved to J.K Rowling.**

The soft plush feel of his lips made the ache in my throat stand out more. His warm, strong hands ran down my sides, turning me onto my back. One rested on my hip and the other held my face as he kissed my falling tears. When I opened my eyes, he was hovering above me and whispering sweet nothings, begging me to stop crying.

"Come on, I'm right here, aren't I?" He whispered, taking my lips again.

My tears slowed and I kept repeating it to myself. He's right here. I wrapped my arms around him, needing him close to me as much as I could, burying my face in the crook of his neck and smelling his clean scent of mint and musk. Our hands wandered, his to my backside and mine to the waistband of his pants. I needed to feel him, to know he was here and safe. Whether he knew it or not, he went along with me. Pushing off the straps of my gown and sliding it over my head. The first time I was shy, not wanting him to look mainly because it was so spur of the moment.

I wasn't ugly, my body had curves in the right places. However, being around Harry and Ron all these years and being part of the "golden trio" didn't get me much in the dating department. Not that I helped myself with all the studying I did. Maybe I really was a stickler for school...

My thoughts were interrupted by Draco's mouth latching onto my breast, sucking hard and fondling its twin and making me grasp at his hair. The ashen strands slipped through my fingers as he lifted his head and stared at me, eyes full of lust and wanting and something else I don't think either of us was ready to name yet.

He looked like he wanted to say something but instead just hitched my legs up around his waist, caressing my thigh as he pushed inside me. From there, his eyes darkened and I wrapped my hands around the bars of the headboard, my moans turning to screams that eventually morphed into his name falling from my lips as my stomach tightened and my release hit me like a wave. My orgasm dragged out by his continued thrusting until his own release came and he roared my name.

We laid there, legs and arms tangled together until he gently guided me to lay across his chest. The mood in the air was no longer saturated with sorrow and tension, it was still there but pushed to the side in favor of contentment and adoration.

"What will we do tomorrow? Act like nothing's changed?" I wondered, staring up at him through my heavy eyelashes.

"I suppose, with classes ending this week and everyone getting all packed up for the holidays I wouldn't be surprised if everyone was too busy to give us much thought."

"I think you're highly underestimating your own popularity, Mr. Malfoy." I teased.

That earned me a nice slap on my ass. "I could never forget that I'm the most important person at this school, without me there'd only be that thick-headed Potter and we all know he's a lost cause." He pretended not to notice my glare. "Besides, we've got to figure out what Dumbledore meant by 'unpleasant matters'. If it's something to happen after he's gone then I don't see how it could be that dangerous. Actually, it can't be that dangerous if two students are to handle it, right?"

"If those two are us, then maybe it might be manageable and not too out there, unless he means Harry, in which case it can get deadly in a matter of moments."

"If the old man meant Potter then why wouldn't he have just told him? Why go through the trouble of making us the main attraction at breakfast?"

"So, what could we have to do? If it's so dangerous task then how would we know how to fix it? We got interrupted before he could tell us anything." I began biting my lower lip, worrying my teeth across the flesh as I tried to sort through everything to find some logic in it all.

"Hey," He tilted my chin up and kissed me firmly, "We'll figure it out. Best to just go to sleep for now and maybe we'll find something new in the morning."

There was nothing new in the morning. There was nothing new in the past week actually. We went to classes, and as much as I wanted to sit with Draco and stay away from the general resentment rolling off of my house table during breakfast, lunch, and dinner but I went and sat there anyway. The food was tasteless as everyone seemed to make an effort to not make eye contact with me, everyone except Luna Lovegood that is. Luna sat next to me and talked to me about school work and Nargles, the latter of which I wasn't sure I understood.

After the week was over I was dying for the Hogwarts Express to take me home, sleeping with Draco every night brought some relief and always had me smiling in the morning. I began packing up my dorm room a bit early, the moment my last class on Friday let out. After shrinking the luggage so I could put it in my pocket and double checking that I'd gathered all my books, I left and got to the Room of Requirements in record time, opening the door and blinking when I saw Blaise Zabini poking his head into the bedroom and letting out a low whistle.

"Nice place, so you've been in here instead of coming back to the dorm? I wouldn't blame you, I'd ditch you in a heartbeat if it meant getting to sleep in this large bed every night." HIs gruff voice was teasing, I could sense the smile in it even though his back was to me.

I let the door close behind me and watched as he whipped around, a half-hearted excuse falling from his lips until Draco strode passed him and wrapped me up in his embrace.

"What's going on here?" I asked as he rained kisses down on my lips, a slow blush I barely noticed creeping up my neck and into my cheeks.

"Blaise was feeling like some practice so I brought him back here so I could dump my luggage before going out. What were you doing here?"

"Pretty much the same thing, wanted to bring my luggage in here so I wouldn't have to go back to my dorm."

He looked around for a moment, "I think you forgot the luggage part of that equation."

I rolled my eyes and broke away from him to rummage in my pocket. When I pulled out my two bags I wanted to giggle because of how much they reminded me of my cousin's dollhouse toys. Once enlarged they were very heavy, falling to the ground with a loud thud, probably from all the books I had stored in them.

"Well if you're not busy then why not come out and watch us practice? I'm sure Malfoy would love the confidence boost."

"I don't need a confidence boost to kick your ass, Zabini." He rolled his eyes and turned back towards me with a raised brow and a laughing smile. "Do you want to come?"

"Sure, I don't see why I can't."

We all exited the room, Blaise standing to my right side since Draco was occupying my left and holding my hand. It was strange how effortless it seemed for him to just accept everything, I'm sure it wasn't easy to see a longtime friend change sides but I just couldn't wrap my head around it. Why try so hard?

"Oh, Draco, why didn't you tell me?" A shrill voice sounded as we approached the Quidditch field. Pansy Parkinson came and stood in front of him with the sweetest smile she could muster. "Honestly, I would've understood."

A collective tension hit the three of us and Blaise and I seemed to tilt our heads towards the sky at the same time, we even looked at each other to confirm and started laughing while Draco had it out with the walking car alarm.

"What do you mean, Pansy? I've told you she's my girlfriend." He looked bored, looking down at her through heavy eyelids and taking way too many glances up at the field.

"You didn't tell me that you guys were just doing this because of the whole head boy and head girl thing, I mean I totally agree that you were robbed at the beginning of this year, Drakey. I don't know how you two pretending changed that old blood traitor's mind but now that you've gotten what you wanted you're free."

She smiled wide at the end of her explanation like she had cracked the case and was relieved that something finally made sense to her. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't get a lot of things.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, I really couldn't give a toad's fat ass about what you think we're doing this for. What I do care about is that you're blocking my way and we're wasting daylight listening to you."

He pushed passed her, pulling me along with him and Blaise just strode passed her, patting her on the shoulder as if he felt for her. Once we made it passed the stands we were on the wide-open field, no one out here but two barely recognizable dots flying about in the sky. It was too close to looking at the sun so it took me a while to make them out, squinting and holding my hand up to shield my eyes as I caught a glimpse of a burgundy sweater on a dark-haired boy and a head of bright orange hair.

I worried my bottom lip, looking down and letting go of Draco's hand to scoot into the benches, not bothering to look up even when I heard the swoosh of air and felt eyes on me. Please just go away. Please, what more could you have to say to me? You ignore me for two weeks and now you're suddenly ready to go for round two?

I looked up attentively at Harry and Ron who hovered above me on their brooms, looking down at me. Ron had a nervous look on his face, disappointment was evident too. Harry was much the same except instead of a nervous expression he sat there with one of pity.

"What are you doing, Hermione?" Harry questioned, so close above me that he just used his inside voice.

"Sitting, of course you already see that."

"Don't be like that, 'Mione. We just want to know why you're prancing around with the same git you used to hate. In case you don't remember he's done nothing but make our school lives a living hell and he's called you names since he's set eyes on you." Ron was practically yelling by the end of it, his face red and his breathing labored.

"It... He's not like that anymore, Ron. He may have been a huge prat, he may still be one, but it's not all that you think." I begged.

"Oh yeah? Then tell us what we're supposed to think?! What are we supposed to do? Just support you and watch you sit with the Slytherins?" Harry retorted.

"That sounds a bloody hell of a lot better than hanging around the lot of you." Draco came flying by on his broom, stopping next to Harry with Blaise on his heels. "I thought you Gryffindors were about honor and friendship and rainbows. If this is how you treat a friend than maybe our houses aren't so different after all. Now if you don't mind we're busy here. I know you two obviously need the practice but trust me, it won't help."

"Bugger off, Malfoy. What are you, her handler? If this relationship the two of you have is real then why can't she speak for herself?" Harry glared daggers at him as he turned to face him on his broom.

"Oh, she can, but I'd prefer that she not get her pretty hands dirty. Now if you've got something to say about me then say it, otherwise get lost."

I was frozen, my tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth and I couldn't seem to get enough air in my lungs. I can't make them understand, especially not when I barely understood things myself. I can't explain why everything feels better when I'm with him, even when I hate how he talks about my... friends.

"Hermione." Harry's voice came out loud and clear. The echo ringing in my head.

"I... I don't feel so good."

My stomach rolled violently, the breakfast I had barely eaten any of was threatening to come up. No, more than threatening, it was demanding. I doubled over the railing holding up the Gryffindor banner and retched, vomiting everything in my stomach. This was nothing like the first time I'd felt ill, the first time just seemed like a head cold. This was like someone was pushing on my stomach like I was some kind of toothpaste tube, trying to see how much they could push out.

The cries of panic were present but I couldn't be bothered. Arms once again hoisted me up and cuddled me close to his chest and I tried to move, I didn't want to puke on him too. Draco just waved me away though, jogging to the infirmary which I was becoming way too familiar with. Madam Pomfrey had a clear house for once, she was sweeping the floor when we burst in and didn't even bother to ask, just pointed to a bed near her office and strode over after disposing of the broom.

"What's it this time?" She asked, not unkindly, more like she was joking to herself.

"She just started throwing up, I don't know!" Draco seemed far more panicked than I would think necessary over a minor sickness so I grabbed his hand and tried to smile.

"Hm, I've got something for vomiting but I need to know the cause so I'll have to test some things. In the meantime, Ms. Granger I think you'll be pleased to know that the potion for your pet has finished and looks well and good.

I cleared my throat, grimacing at that horrid taste and the croaky noise my voice produced in the big room. "Go get Olive, Draco." At his protest, I covered his mouth with my hand gently. "Please, I'm sure she's more than ready to be her old self again. Besides, I'm fine. Madam Pomfrey's here so you know I'll be fine."

If I was strong enough then I would've pushed him head first out the door but I had to wait patiently until he left, instead. Madam Pomfrey moved me a few times, first to my side so she could stick me with some weird thing that resembled a weird skull with pointy teeth, it bit into the skin of my ribs and soon was partially filled with a dark crimson liquid. When there was a bandage firmly placed over the wound she laid me on my back again and stuck a needle in my arm to draw a bit more blood. Then she waved her wand over my body slowly, I felt some discomfort and wondered why she held a small vial in her hand until it started to fill with a yellow liquid.

"What's that?" I inquired.

"Oh, just a sample of your... You know, it's not important." She skirted away, holding the bottle closed tightly.

I sighed and turned onto my stomach, closing my eyes and taking slow deep breaths, not noticing when I started to drift to sleep.


	12. Too Much

**Disclaimer: I own no part of the Harry Potter universe or it's characters! All rights to J. K Rowling!**

Blue? Why blue? I looked around at the beds lined up in a row, at the beautiful blonde head laying on the right side of my bed. I reached out and stroked the soft locks of hair, slightly mystified by the way it looks like my hand was coasting through ocean blue waves. It distracted me momentarily from the fact that I was having another weirdly colored dream.

The last one seemed to come true, maybe I was having premonitions? IF what I read was correct then seers usually started getting their premonitions and visions early on in life, so I'd have to be quite the late bloomer. I swung my legs off the left side of the clinical mattress and walked towards Madam Pomfrey's office door, no one should be working at this hour. I peeked my head a bit and saw that the room was indeed empty and proceeded to browse around on her desk where various different papers were thrown about. Some looked like old files, seems she was in the middle of re-organizing. Others had her own handwriting on the under students' names. I felt bad looking at some of the student medical files and turned away until my own name caught my attention.

 _Hermione Granger_

 _Blood Type: O+_

 _Previous Illnesses: Mumps(Muggle), Chickenpox(Muggle), Sluggitis, Broken Wrist, Carpal Tunnel_

 _Allergies: Shellfish, Dust, Allefora Powder (Notify Madam Sprout)_

 _Current Symptoms: Nausea, High Temperature_

It was strange to see my experiences mapped out like that, I mean it wasn't much of a medical report but still quite interesting all the same. Convinced that there was nothing more for me to see I took one more glance at the sheet. Noting that there was a small list at the bottom, out of the way almost.

 _Possible Causes:_

 _Stress_

 _Food Poisoning_

 _Cold_

 _Anxiety_

 _Pregnancy_

I blinked twice, I could feel myself trying to process the last one and there was a wall there in my mind. My knee-jerk reaction was to say that's not possible, I hadn't been with much of anyone...

I turned and took slow, unsteady steps out of the office. Bypassing the beds altogether and aiming for the big doors to the infirmary, wanting air. It felt like my lungs were being robbed of all the oxygen I once held and I was being suffocated from the inside. My lungs refused to settle and my breathing continued to quicken until I hit the doors and barged unceremoniously out of them, stopping and breathing in the slightly cooler air of the long corridors, the only heat emanating from the lamps hung every forty paces or so.

The thought of Filch and his cat or any one of the school ghosts catching me started to creep into my mind but I couldn't go back. Not only did I want to face what might happen when I woke up but I felt like something was incomplete. The other dream had me overhearing the headmaster's conversation with Professor Snape, so this one should have a bit of information for me as well. I looked down both sides of the corridor and sighed, not like this strange dreamland could give me a compass or anything, right?

My head thought of things I would normally do in this situation and the first thought that surfaced was going to the Great Hall for breakfast. As unlikely as it seemed I chose to go, maybe if my dream saw that I was trying it would throw me a bone?

On the way there I noticed that the rest of the corridor started disappearing, taken over by a blue-tinted mist, a thick, dense fog I couldn't see past. I walked past various classroom doors that were locked, the silence of the halls becoming eerie with the mist following me so I quickened my steps. Faster and faster until I was at a light jog down the stone halls and I could hear my footsteps echoed back to me. Upon arriving at the hall, I was happy to note that I could hear voices beyond the door.

I slowed my steps to a crawl and pushed the heavy door open a cracked until a thin sliver of light hit my face and I could see three figures standing around the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. One of them was a rather disgruntled looking McGonagall, the other was a grouchy Snape and finally a woman I didn't recognize. She was dressed in pink, bright pink, with her hair curled close to her face without a hair out of place. The way she stood and the small curl of her lips had me guessing she was someone who thought highly of herself and especially so in front of her current company.

"Honestly, you show up without warning and claim 'it's all for the children' 'For the good of the wizarding world'. Then you should know that the way you're proposing we do things would offer nothing but a fear of their powers and infighting that we try very hard to discourage, Delores." Professor McGonagall was as mad as I've seen her, and I could tell she was holding back and keeping her manners above the eruption she surely felt about to come.

"I'm only enforcing the rules of the Ministry, Minerva. The very thing you all should have been doing since these doors opened. I can see that things have been getting... comfortable here, and I intend to fix what needs to be fixed. Besides, your headmaster hasn't objected." The woman, Delores, smiled and looked over at Snape who just sharpened his glare. Why would they both be looking at him?

"You know as well as I do that to oppose the Ministry would be foolish, if you wish to torment all of the students here then so be it. All for the Ministry, right?" He crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow back to the woman.

"No one is torturing anyone, the both of you are too excited about all of this really. I am simply an educator wishing to better the lives of these young witches and wizards." She let her smile grow a bit and tilted her head to the side.

"Then what do you call what you did to young Mister Potter? A rite of passage?" McGonagall seemed fed up, the sarcasm dripping out of her voice a shock to me as she stormed off towards the doors I was standing in front of.

I bit my lip and rushed around the corner, hoping like mad that she didn't hear my steps even though they seemed amplified tenfold to me. My ears seemed filled with my hurried run back to the infirmary and my heart didn't calm down until I was safely behind the big oak doors.

Draco still laid with his head resting on his arms on my bedside and I wanted to shake him, how could he sleep when it felt like I just had ten more books piled on top of my already gigantic stack. Instead, I slipped back into bed and turned towards him, resting my forehead against his partially covered forearms and closing my eyes. Letting the wheels turn, trying to sift through all the thoughts to get to sleep.

"Hey, come on. Don't make me go to get my luggage without checking on you first."

He was shaking me lightly, not even enough to jostle the sheet but I still sprang up in bed like something bit me.

"No, no. Calm down, Hermione. I just wanted to see how you were doing." Draco touched my shoulder and eased me back down into the bed, a worried look crossing his face. "What's got you into such a fuss?"

"Last night I had a," I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair, getting more frustrated when they ended up getting tangled, "A dream maybe, or something. You were asleep right next to my bed and I went out toward the great hall. McGonagall and Snape were talking to some woman I didn't recognize. They said her name was-"

Madam Pomfrey walked into the infirmary just then, holding some papers in one hand and a basket in the other, a slightly disturbed smile on her face. She came to a stop in front of us and her brows furrowed when she saw the frenzied state I was in.

"This won't do, Miss Granger. You can't work yourself up like this. What's happened?" She sat the basket down on the foot of my bed.

"Nothing. I'm sorry I just had a... bad dream. That's all. We leave for holiday tomorrow, correct? I'll just make sure to get some rest when I'm home."

"See that you do, although it would be wise that you limit how much you carry for the next few... months. Perhaps Mister Malfoy could help you with your luggage?" She just stared at him, clearly it wasn't much of a question.

"Of Course, I'll take them down with mine. I suppose that goes without saying since they're allowing us to check our luggage into carriages early this year. Do you know why that is, Madam?" Draco ended up sitting beside me, holding my hand so I wouldn't keep fidgeting.

She looked between the both of us, eyeing his hands and shrugging towards his question, instead asking one of her own. "Am I to assume the rumors I've heard are true? The two of you are together?"

We nodded, neither of us really thinking about the fact that we were so close, it just seemed to happen. I tried to keep my blush contained and pull my hands out of his but he just tightened his grip, caging both of my hands in one of his while he pulled my bottom lip out from under my teeth.

"Very well, then you should stay for what I have to tell you, Mister Malfoy. I'm afraid that you're pregnant, Miss Granger. Only two weeks or so, and I'm only taking a professional guess but I'd wager that he's the father?"

Although she said she was guessing it still came out as a question, I nodded. Not sure whether to be sick at the fact that I was pregnant or the fact that it would be anyone's other than Draco. I started to shake, tremors rocking my body as my brain replayed her words, pictures of us together those two nights. All the while a little voice played in the back of my head. How could you be so stupid? Who does that without using protection?

I started to feel light headed, the room wobbled in and out of focus and even though I tried to get a grip, answer even just one of the questions swirling in my head it only helped so much. Did I regret being with him? No. The world kept still for a second before going back to swinging me around. Did I know what Dumbledore was up to? No. Peace for a moment but not enough, not enough oxygen. Did I want this baby? I... It would be a lie to say no. Yes, part of me definitely did but why? Why him? Why was I okay with it? We'd been together for all of one month!

Finally, I fell back onto my pillow, staring at the swirling ceiling and feeling the bile rise up in my throat. Thankfully a bucket was put on my left side and I turned over and retched, my stomach cramping up something awful and my first thought was that I might be hurting the baby. When that thought crossed my mind my body seemed to just relax automatically, I still heaved but this time the pain was faint.

Sleep, sleep was what I wanted. I needed an escape to adjust but even when I wanted to faint or turn over and drift off to sleep questions plagued me. I turned over towards my right to see Draco was a white sheet of a person, sitting down in the chair next to the bed with the ghost of a smile on his face.

"How could you be smiling at a time like this? We're not ready for this... Right? I mean we're not even eighteen yet, well we have a year to go but still. I can't do this-"

His hands came up and cupped my cheeks, he pulled my forehead to his and opened his eyes. He seemed to age in the past ten minutes, the bags under his eyes were still there but now I noticed that his eyelashes were long and tickled my cheeks. I noticed how when he smiled like he was the skin by his eyes wrinkled just a bit. Any child we have, I want them to look just like him...

"We can do it, we have to. I don't care how crazy it sounds, you're it for me, Granger. I knew it the moment we kissed that first time and it won't change." He spoke confidently, the color still gone from his face but I appreciated the bravado nonetheless.

"What about your family, we can't exactly just run. Not to mention you wouldn't last in the muggle world." I giggled lightly. "That face right there is exactly my point. We have so much to handle already, how can we possibly handle this too."

He shook his head and pulled me into a loose hug, his hands resting on the sides of my stomach as my back pressed against his chest. "You mean to tell me that brightest witch of our age doesn't believe that we can accomplish something? Even when her beloved headmaster says we can?"

It wasn't an answer, it wasn't another question either. Just a challenge. One that I couldn't turn down. So, I steeled my shoulders, sent a silent prayer to whoever would listen and got down to looking for a piece of parchment and a quill.


	13. Do You Trust Me?

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Harry Potter universe or its characters! All rights reserved to J. K. Rowling!**

As we exited the Infirmary with the basket Madam Pomfrey gifted us I looked over the piece of parchment I've spent the last half hour on. I was grateful to the old witch who discreetly covered the contents of the basket in a small grey blanket to hide the diapers and various baby clothes and bottle stocked inside. She seemed supportive for an adult figure who had figured out a student was pregnant. Maybe this sort of thing happened more frequently than even I knew.

"What is that list supposed to do for us? We'll be separated over the course of the winter, are you trying to make sure you don't forget something?" Draco had his hands in his pockets since he couldn't hold mine. He looked over the top of my head at the note again, filled with three separate columns and information all in my tiny handwriting.

"Well I just thought it'd be easier to organize my thoughts, that's all. What we know is that Dumbledore thinks something's coming. We know that whoever Snape and McGonagall were talking to has something to do with it. We need to find out why they took the headmaster and what's their plan if we're to beat them."

He looked up at the ceiling for a moment, bringing his left hand out to scratch his cheek as he nodded. "When put like that it doesn't seem like a lot has happened, doesn't it? Well, file the Delores woman as hating mudbloods as what we know, according to Olive's story it seems the two must be the same person."

I raised my eyebrows and stopped, handing the basket to him while I made that note. "If it truly is the same person then she must be formidable to talk down to Snape and McGonagall like that." I let out a heavy sigh and smiled at Draco's worried look. "It's just nice to have everything in order. I was so tired of having everything jumble about in my head, you know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. So, uh, how are you handling the, um, you know. News?"

"Oh, quit looking at me like you've just stolen my favorite book, will you? I'll admit it's not ideal and it's certainly unexpected. Ultimately, it's our fault, we should've been thinking more clearly and this is the price we pay, I suppose." I blushed, ashamed and closed my eyes as I took a deep breath.

We walked together in silence, my thought traveling to my stomach. It was still flat as ever and I wondered if I'd have ever drawn the conclusion that I was pregnant on my own. I had a month's break from school now so I at least had the time to research a bit more about the subject. Oh no... How was I going to tell them? How would mom possibly understand that I'd not only broken my own moral code of not being with anyone sexually but now I was pregnant with their child? Even if there was a bloody hope of her understanding then she would insist on knowing who it was, that couldn't happen. They wouldn't understand that the person who's had me crying sometimes at night was now the person that I... loved.

"Hey," I put my hand on his forearm to stop him, watching his eyes for a moment before clearing my eyes and looking at the dark grey cobblestones beneath our feet. "Did you mean what you said? The, um, part where I'm it for you? Does that mean that you, well..."?

He tilted up my chin with a finger, I don't know what he saw when he looked at me like this but it must've tickled him because he beamed at me and lowered his head until his lips were brushing against my ear with his words, "I wouldn't lie to someone I love, Granger. I love you."

When he straightened up I immediately dropped my head, not wanting him to see the unshed tears welling up in my eyes. I think he noticed anyway though because he didn't urge my head back up, just slung an arm over my shoulders and lead me through the halls until we were standing in front of a black carriage, I looked up when voices started breaking through the curtain of my hair and saw that there were many other students gathered waiting for one of their own.

"How did you get one so fast?" I looked at him accusingly.

"You don't want to know, I'm sure. Just get your toned ass up in there."

I threw a distasteful look over my shoulder at him and climbed the two steps to get inside, the carriage was fit for about four, even six people if they didn't mind touching a bit so it felt much too big for just the two of us, especially when Draco insisted on sitting next to me on one bench.

I laid my head on his shoulder and yawned, pressing closer to him and using his side for warmth as I felt myself getting sleepy.

"And here I was thinking I would get to fool around with you once I got you in here." He rolled his eyes as I smacked his arm, "I suppose we have a long carriage ride ahead, get some sleep."

I was content to do just that. When I woke we still had a bit of a way to go and Draco was leaning back comfortably, staring out the window with his head turned away from me. The sunset was just beginning and throwing shades of orange and pink across his face. He looked like a portrait, like someone had painted this moment and I was awestruck. All these years of hating him had masked how attractive he really had grown up to be. The sharp angles of his face and the muscles underneath his well-fitted clothing could have anyone thinking he was the front cover of Wizard Weekly.

"You see something you like?" He turned towards me, his eyes smoldering with his trademark smirk on his face.

I tried to roll my eyes and sit up, feigning a stretch, until he pulled my face to his and kissed me breathless. I was helpless to do anything but sink into it and bring my hands up and around his shoulders, pulling him closer. He laid us gently out over the bench and unbuttoned my robe, taking his time to undress me. First it was his hands roaming under my shirt, pushing it up and over my head. I wanted to touch him, so badly I ached for it but he would just place my hands above my head.

He met the pleading in my eyes with a soft smile, leaning down and latching his lips to mine. His tongue played with my bottom lip as his hands cupped and squeezed my breasts. I was happy that they seemed to fit his hands, they always seemed so large compared to my own. Before I could finish that line of thought he kneaded my left breast while moving his other hand down to push away my knee length shorts.

I realized I was panting, biting my lip when he moved away and kneeled over me. His gaze was slow, unhurried and that made it worse. I leaned forward and unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it off his shoulders and roaming my hands over his chest and abs. I needed more, the sight of him heated my blood and my breathing was getting heavier. The space around us seemed to grow smaller until it felt like we were trapped inside a small box.

"Draco... Please..." I couldn't tell what I was begging for, I felt like I needed all of him, all at once.

His lips nipped at my collarbone, kissing and sucking while he laid me on my back again, climbing over me and lining our bodies up. There was a cool, wet feeling trailing down my neck to my breast until it ended with a kiss to my stomach. I was shaking, my body so wound up it felt like any more torture and I was gonna burst. It was then he pushed into me, filling my body and making me work muscles I still wasn't used to.

Time was lost to me and I nearly had a heart attack when our carriage seemed to slow a bit, it meant we couldn't lay here in post-coital bliss anymore. He wrapped me up in my robe, and gathered our clothes, pulling on his pants and covering his torso with his own robe.

"Um, sweetie I need my clothes." I raised an eyebrow and felt the breeze come from the door as he moved to open it.

"Hm, you can have them back when we're sitting in our compartment." He had a devilish grin on his face that made my pulse race.

"You can't be serious, I can't walk out there naked!"

He rolled his eyes and opened the door anyway, stepping out of the carriage and into the throng of people, turning around and watching me expectantly. I looked around the carriage, he must've hidden my clothes in his robe and he knew he was backing me into a corner.

I huffed and tried to breathe away the tears of fear, there was no need. No one knew except me and the train was right there. If we hurried finding a compartment would be no problem. I stepped out and pressed myself into his back, reaching an arm out and taking hold of his robes while I wrapped my other arms around myself.

We shuffled along, making our way through the crowd which was made easier because everyone moved once they saw it was Draco pushing past them. The burgundy and yellow of the Hogwarts Express was visible and shining in my view. I was actually hit with a wave of excitement before my stomach wouldn't stop turning. It felt like I was about to lose the breakfast I'd eaten but now I could tell the butterflies were because it was exhilarating to have the little secret, it made me feel different. Sensual.

"Hermione." Harry came and stood to my left and it caught me off guard, making me break my hold on Draco's robes.

"Harry..." I backed away a step, not sure how he would be feeling since he last attempted to talk to me.

"What aren't you telling me? I know something wrong. I thought you trusted me."

"I do trust you, Harry! It's you and Ron who just up and dropped me. Then... Then you just acted like I didn't exist..."

"Well, you didn't exactly give us a choice! You go prancing around with Malfoy after leaving us hanging!" He gripped the tops of my shoulders tightly, his grip making pain shoot through my arms. "No explanations, no talking, we don't even see you in the common room anymore. Now, two days after we watch you throw up your guts you scurry behind Malfoy like a house elf? What has he done to you?!"

"Nothing, but I think you sure worry about what I'm going to do to you if you don't release her, Potter." Draco was a step behind me, his hand reaching out to Harry's arms and I could see the veins underneath his pearl white skin. I could see the rage in his eyes and it scared me for Harry's sake.

I grabbed Draco's hand before he could grab Harry, who let me go and looked like he wanted to kill Malfoy at that moment. "Stop, please. Look, Harry, I'm sorry you think I've abandoned you and Ron. I never meant to. I should've talked you two days ago and I know that. However, I refuse to take the blame on this one. You and Ron used me! You were my friends but anything I cared about didn't matter. Sure, I love you both but you started to care about your little crushes more than you cared about me and to tell you the truth I'm surprised you even noticed I was gone! I was like a scapegoat for you two, I knew you were smart enough for school but if you could use me then why bother?"

My nose started to run and I looked to the sky, trying to find the right words to finish before I gave up entirely, it was time to stop hiding behind Draco. "Somewhere over the years, I let myself fall into the background. I wanted to help you too and I stopped caring about whatever else I wanted. I'm sorry, Harry, but this is not all my fault."

I turned and kept a tight hold of Draco's hand, pulling him with me and into the train, I looked down both ways of the aisle and watched as my vision blurred. Draco started pulling me, whispering the words "found our car" as he lead me down the aisle and into a compartment near the back of the train.

He gathered me up and I felt my tears soak his shirt as he cradled me to his chest. He didn't say anything, just held me and rocked me gently. When I felt like my eyes would swell up shut from how puffy they were and my face had gotten as red as it was able I stood up shakily and lifted my bag off the overhead compartment and started looking for clothes. At last, I settled for some long sweatpants and a turtleneck sweater, suddenly feeling dirty and exposed.

"Hey, don't shut me out." Draco urged when I sat across from him and leaned my body against the cold metal of the train.

I looked at him and sighed, nodding solemnly and closing my eyes as I felt the magic flow through me, when I opened them again there was a sheet of paper on Draco's lap, identical to the one I carried in my robe pocket with our list on it. He nodded and folded it into his pants pocket and looked out the window with me, reaching across the space to hold my hand wordlessly.


	14. Going Home

Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter characters or anything in the Harry Potter universe. All rights to J. K. Rowling.

 **Draco's POV**

It was no wonder why I was worried about her. She was as unstable as she was gorgeous and that wasn't a good combo. I watched her as she looked out the window through the half-a-day ride back to London and watched her even as she gathered her bags. I took a deep breath, schooled my face, and cleared my mind of her. Well as much as I could while still imagining that cinnamon and flower smell of hers.

I grabbed my bags and marched my way off the train, not looking for the one person I was in love with and instead, looking for the only other person I loved, well maybe Blaise too but he's a prat.

"Hello, mother." I hugged her tightly and felt her hands fanning out around me, touching and stroking like she always did, she may have been married to a monster but she was always my mom.

I broke away from her and nodded solemnly to my father, who seemed to be in a good mood, a rarity and something I wasn't sure how to deal with. We walked to the car and got in behind the driver together, mom and I on one side and father on the opposite one.

"Go on, Draco, tell us about your year." Mum urged, very excited like she was every year.

"Similar to last year mother, the old man has been a bit more annoying but it's been normal." I shrugged and looked out the window, a safe place to look then at the man across from me.

"I can imagine, although that should be nothing more than a memory after the break. Then you shall have the school a Malfoy deserves." Father spoke up, that smile only growing wider.

I couldn't help myself, my curiosity was too much to handle. "What do you mean? He's leaving?"

He nodded, not saying anything in response but It's nothing I didn't already know. Him bargaining into Dumbledore's office that day wasn't some coincidence, he must've been there to take him back to the ministry, or if nothing else he was there to question him. That would explain why Dumbledore wasn't among the group of waving teachers that were stationed outside of the school to see us off. It would help immensely if I could find out why they took him in. Even just finding out what that Delores' role is would be helpful.

"Dear?" My mother rubbed my arm softly and I started, looking from her to my father who was thankfully not paying as much attention. My mother's shoulders seemed to deflate a bit as well and her soft smile returned.

"Yes? I'm sorry, I was stuck in my thoughts."

"Well, I was just wondering how you and Pansy are faring. I do worry about you sweetheart."

I couldn't help the eye roll, just the sound of her name made me want to claw out my eyes. "There's nothing between us mother," I whispered, afraid this old topic would set my father off again, "She's, well, you know how she is."

She patted my cheek and nodded softly, straightened strands of my already perfect hair. "Well, I... I invited her for Christmas dinner."

"Of course, you did, why does it have to be her?" I sighed.

"Well it doesn't, her family would've come for our annual Christmas party anyway. Besides, I think you'll be happy to know that your Father and I agree with you and you don't have to marry her anymore." Mum beamed at me and for once in the presence of my father I smiled.

"You mean it? No more talk of an heir?"

"Well... Not entirely." She looked away guiltily before gathering me closer and pleading, "Not her, Draco, but we were thinking maybe you would like one of the Greengrass girls. They're nice and not like Pansy at all."

We pulled up into the Manor's driveway and I strained myself to not throw open the car door, pushing it open and getting out before striding up the steps to the front door.

I have to calm down, this is going to get me anywhere. I took the steps two at a time and closed my door behind me before taking out the folded piece of paper Hermione duplicated for me. Thankfully her handwriting was neat enough to read because her cut off sentences made little sense to me. The blank empty column stared at me 'What We Need to Do'. I grabbed one of the quills sitting in an ink jar on my desk and wrote down 'need to find out who Delores is'.

As I sat on my bed and rubbed my hands down my face. I couldn't keep my mind off of what my mum had said in the car. The Greengrass sisters were nice enough. They were another of the sacred twenty-eight families but I never really talked to them. Daphne was my age, I knew that much because Blaise fawned over her. He liked to parade around as a lady's man but I knew that if there was ever a woman for him it would be Daphne Greengrass. Aria was a year below us so that left out interaction at all unless her sister brought her around which was never.

Aria had some pretty long brown hair that was always straight as a bone, not the unruly chocolate mess I was used to. She and her sister had round eyes, no bags under them like she does. They were beautiful, you'd have to be blind not to see it. But they weren't her.

I looked back down at the paper and put it back in my pocket, laying back on my bed and closing my eyes.

I hate winter break.

When I woke up a house elf was softly knocking on my door, I could practically hear the trembling in the soft knocks. I got up and pulled open the door, rushing past the thing and going down the stairs, stopping when I reached the massive dining room table. It was hard to remember to school my face, even though my body got up and took me here like it always did I couldn't shake my dream, or how much I wished that she was sitting at this table waiting for me instead of my mum and two house elves waiting to set the table.

"Have you thought about what I've said, dear?"

"Yes, a little. Honestly, mum I really don't need a wife right now." I sighed, stabbing at the pot roast in front of me.

"I understand that it's a hard thing to think about when you're so young, but we must think about your future and your father and I won't be here forever." She trailed off then, her face downcast before she looked back up at me. "That's why we want you to have someone to take care of you, not someone who will take advantage of all you have. It was a mistake to think Parkinson would do a fine job of that, I'll admit to that. However, the Greengrass's have a good standing in the community and-"

"Enough, mother. Please." I snapped, instantly regretting it when she flinched involuntarily. "I'm sorry, it's just... What if I don't want a rich wife? What If I wanted someone completely normal?" I whispered, letting my guard down around one of the only people I could trust.

"Oh, darling." She took my hand, "Is there someone you have in mind? You know I would never object to something that makes you happy but... it can be a hard thing for your father to decide."

"There's no one, I-I was simply asking. It's just hard to adjust to the thought, you know."

She nodded and we ate in silence, I could feel a headache coming on and I got up, hugging her before rushing back up to my room and coming out with my broom in hand. I had questions and I knew how to get answers when I wanted them.

I ended up in front of the family vault, hidden just beside our house and by blood magic. I bit my finger and shook the drops of blood onto the big steel door and watched it creak open, the Malfoy crest separating and revealing a long, dark stairway. As I descended I noted it smelled less like rot then it did the last time I was down here, which was backed up by the lit lantern that hung above the room I entered. Files and boxes lined the walls and a table or two sat covered in dust and antiques. Family heirlooms and pictures were everywhere and I used to find solace here but now it seemed foreign. Like the pictures were all mocking how I'd changed.

Ignoring my growing disgust, I strode over to the nearest pile of documents, thumbing through them but finding nothing of use, more searching proved frivolous. After the tenth pile, I sighed and pulled out my wand muttering "Aparatium".

It was a long shot; this room was already so full that I couldn't imagine my father finding a spot to put an invisible object. My eyes widened when I saw a chest appear by the entrance, it had an ornate lock on it but with a flick of my wand it unlatched and dropped into my hand. Inside there were a few cloaks and family portraits of us as I grew up. At the bottom, I felt around and found a lever.

Once pulled the bottom fell out of the chest, a compartment heralded a letter, one written to my father. I couldn't take this with me, if he found out it was missing it would be too obvious, I duplicated the document and tried to put everything back how I found it before rushing out of the vault. It felt like I hadn't even stopped to breath until I heard it lock behind me and I doubled over. Panting like I'd run a marathon and sweating bullets.

As I walked with my broom back to the house I thought it over, I hadn't even gotten a good look at the blasted letter before I panicked. But father wouldn't hide something if it wasn't important.

"Ah, welcome back. Mister Malfoy." Kreacher waited for me by the back door, taking in my appearance before looking at the ground, he was always the most... opinionated of our house elves. Something father wasn't able to beat out of him. "Mister Zabini is waiting for you in your room, I tried to stop him but he insisted."

I brushed past the elf, not too keen on speaking to the help as I bound up the stairs and pushed past my bedroom door to see Blaise lounging around on my bed.

"Who said you could lay on my bed, Zabini?" I quirked an eyebrow and I moved toward my wardrobe and pulled my shirt over my head.

"I did, jerkwad." He closed the door behind me and shot me an amused glance. "I saw the fuss Potter made before you got on the train. Two things," He flopped back on my bed and paid no attention to my glare, "One, I'm surprised you let her drag you off, that prat deserved a good smack. Not to mention the way she flinched when he grabbed her I wouldn't be surprised if she had br-" He stopped at my growl and shrugged. "Two, was it just me or did Granger look like she was a little smaller?"

When I didn't answer he decided to keep going a smile spreading on his already smug lips. "I have some theories about that. She either lost some weight, which would be a shame because I like a girl with a good full figure. She could've been wearing some tight clothes, which I wouldn't mind because she has spent way too long dressing like a nun with a body like that. Or she could've been feeling a bit adventurous, maybe a certain someone having something to do with that?"

I couldn't stop grinding my teeth, "You listen here, Zabini. Nothing about her is of any concern to you. Understood?"

"Someone's touchy I see. Fine, then how about we discuss how you left me with Parkinson and the Greengrass's on the train! I was in bloody torment for nearly twelve hours!"

"Oh yes because I know how you just hate to spend time with Daphne, right?" I challenged, sniggering when he didn't oppose and instead just crossed his arms.

"Whatever, smug prat. Anyways, I'm staying over tonight and you'll be in charge of entertaining me. By the way when's dinner?"

I took a peek outside and saw the dark sky before turning back to him, "Dinner's already been had, sorry chum. You're on your own if you want to go down there and snoop around the kitchen."

I strode into the bathroom, turning on the hot water when he came barging in.

"Excellent plan! If they think you're in the shower they won't know we're in the kitchen." Blaise began pulling me towards the door against my protests.

"Listen, I'm the heir to this bloody manor and even I know better than to go in the kitchen when they're getting ready for the Christmas party! Are you mad?"

He just kept pulling and eventually, we were sneaking our way down the stairs and to the entrance way to the kitchen. I sighed and poked my head around the corner as I whispered to my frustrating companion. "We're not bloody children anymore, Blaise! If you wanted food that badly one of the elves could've brought some!"

"Now where would the fun in that be?" He shot me a smug smile and surveyed the kitchen, avoiding mother's gaze while grabbing several cream-filled buns before dashing out and hightailing it back to the staircase.

When I caught up to him and squeezed through the door before he could shut it in my face I was livid, my breathing heavy while he sat with his prizes in his lap and a huge smile on.

"If you were that against it you wouldn't have come with me."

"Oh, is that your excuse for dragging me into it?" I seethed.

"You never let me go anywhere dangerous alone and we both know that. Those times when no one else wanted to bother, you were right there. Why should now be any different?"

I rolled my eyes but felt the smirk grace my lips anyway, I couldn't argue with the truth. As I made my way to the bathroom I tossed him an extra blanket. Once under the spray of the water, I yelped and yelled at him, "Now the water's cold you dick!"

Seeing everyone dressed up while it was negative a thousand degrees in the ballroom was laughable. I stood next to Blaise and a few other guys as we joked about all the women who grabbed at the elbows for warmth. We watched as Hannah Abbott, who had barely received an invite, cradled herself for warmth and uncurled whenever someone walked by. Letting her face turn up and speaking haughtily like she was regretting weird a silk lavender evening gown with a slit to her hip.

The past two weeks have been stressful, to say the least, after Blaise stayed the first night I was left on my own to decipher the letter written to my father.

 _Lucius Malfoy,_

 _As a proud member of the Ministry of Magic, we praise your efforts against the dark arts. Your years of loyalty proceed you and that's why we must make a grave request._

 _The Ministry has uncovered some very troubling information and so it is with a heavy heart that we must bring in Sir Albus Dumbledore for questioning. To ease your concerns and that of the teachers and students at Hogwarts we will be appointing Severus Snape as the headmaster and bringing in a new teacher to make sure that things go smoothly._

 _We are aware of your son's presence at the school and felt it important to tell you that Delores Umbridge is of the utmost responsible and brilliant here at the Ministry._

 _As for the Dumbledore questioning, we think it best to do it before the children shall notice so around winter break should suffice. You are to bring him to the courts for questioning and may use tactics to subdue him should he resist. Though I highly doubt it, considering his age and agility._

 _Any further briefing or questions you need can be_ owlled _or you can seek out the Minister, though this should be a simple job for a man such as yourself._

 _-Tonks_

Something seemed off, I mean my father made a great effort to let others know he was good at his job but he was only in charge of prisoners who were already at the Ministry so why have him be the one to get Dumbledore? I've met Tonks a few times before, she was a lady of expectations and efficiency, a well-known Auror.

As much as I hated to have more questions put on the list I added Umbridge to the list of things I knew and the little tidbit about Snape being the headmaster. Why Snape? Everyone knew that if it weren't for the wise old man McGonagall would've had the position rightfully. Too many things seemed to be shifting in favor of something else but I couldn't think of what.

Before I had the time to completely blank out Blaise tapped my shoulder and nodded his chin towards our left, where my father stood in a doorway. When our eyes met he nodded once and strode off, leaving me to say goodbye to Blaise and make my way after him.

We stopped in his study, with a flick of his hand the door shut and he reclined in his desk chair, gesturing stiffly to the chair in front of the desk. It felt like I was sitting on spikes when I got in the plush leather chair.

"Yes, sir?"

"We've received your bi-annual report, your care of magical creatures score was low. I expect that will be remedied come year's end?"

 _Yes, because it would kill you to say 'good job' at my all A's, or to just look at me like I'm your son and not some commodity._ "Yes, sir."

"Good. I have something for you." He pulled out a small box and pushed it across the desk to me. "Don't lose it."

I opened the small black box and saw a thick silver signet ring with our house's crest on it. My eyebrows bunched and my gaze shot to his right hand, where he kept an identical one he said I couldn't have until I'd become the true heir to Malfoy Manor. I spent countless nights trying to figure out what that meant to no avail and now he was just giving me this...

For the first time in a few years I genuinely smiled at my father and put the ring on my thumb, it was still a bit too big for my fingers but I was nonetheless pleased.

"Thank you, father." I rushed out of his study when it seemed he had no further use for me and walked back to the ballroom, stopping by my mother as she talked to some other rich housewife. Maybe things were getting slowly better, just maybe. I twisted the ring around my thumb absentmindedly as I distastefully talked to the Parkinson's with a grin.


	15. Deafening Silence

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of the Harry Potter Universe or its characters. All rights belong to J. K. Rowling.

When I got on the train I had to stop myself from trying to find her, I had to endure the slow, loving hug from mum before I was even able to climb the steps. As I walked down the aisle carrying my leather suitcases I peered into every car and saw nothing of the person I actually wanted to see. Instead, I ended up being intercepted by my annoying friend and an even worse Parkinson.

"Come on, Drakey. I saved you a seat." She smiled like I hadn't just spent the past four or five weeks pretending like she didn't exist while... knocking up my girlfriend.

I rubbed my forehead and just sat down, keeping my luggage on hand so I'd have the easy out while Crabbe and Goyle started spouting off questions and answers about their break. I know a lot of food was mentioned, and Crabbe mentioned my family's Christmas party that Goyle couldn't attend. Goyle's face soured and he griped about 'missing all the fun' while attending the funeral for one of his aunts.

The chatter wouldn't drown out like it always did, for some reason I couldn't turn it off so I was forced to endure every agonizing, meaningless word they uttered. I was in the middle of contemplating smashing my head through the glass window when Pansy grabbed at my forearm and stared up at me with big, makeup lined eyes.

"So, I was thinking that once you graduate and live in your family's manor, my family could build one in the empty land next to it. Then we'd be like neighbors until our wedding. You know it's not proper for a woman to move in before-"

"What are you on about?" I rubbed at my tired eyes, needing more sleep than ever after my break. "Didn't you get the memo? You're not the only pureblood girl around and I have no interest in marrying you, especially when I have a blasted girlfriend you're keeping me from."

At that Crabbe and Goyle seemed to shut up and stare at the two of use, Blaise just lounged back and acted like he wasn't listening to the conversation happening right in front of him.

"You're still on that?" She sighed like I was giving her the workout of her life, "Well I don't really like the idea of you having a mistress but I suppose one wouldn't hurt. However, there has to be ground rules, like she is definitely not going to live in the house and she can't bear your chil-"

"You're giving me a headache, not to mention being more annoying than usual." I got up and rushed out before she could catch me in her claws again, peeking into the window of a car and sliding into its empty bench, sighing and setting my bag down.

"Seems to me like you're getting out of shape, Malfoy."

I lifted my head to the sky, my smile uncontrollable when a year ago I would've been livid to hear that smug know-it-all voice. This time I leaped across the car to get to her, folding her in my arms and breathing in all that cinnamon and vanilla that I'd craved for the past month.

 **Hermione POV:**

He seemed a bit on edge when he sat down, also ashen and tired from what I could see as he streaked into the compartment. I had a feathery lightness inside me that I wasn't ready to lose so I didn't question anything. Just felt his arms wrapped around me and smiled as I reminisced about everything that I couldn't fathom happening all at once.

When I'd arrived at home with my parents, the tension I felt in the car never ceased. To me, it seemed like everything was becoming too tight. Mum and Dad were as cheerful as ever, asking me the same old questions to which I tried to give the same old answers. At one point mum asked if everything was all right and my breath had gotten caught in my throat. The coughing stopped me from having to answer but convinced then I was a sick mess to be taken care of.

If they only knew.

Even when we got home and mum ushered me into bed I couldn't force the words out, they played like a song through my head. A constant string of words.

 _I'm pregnant. Mum, Dad, I'm pregnant. Hey, I just thought you should know I, um, I'm pregnant. Please don't freak out but, I'm pregnant._

Come dinnertime, mum insisted on bringing me soup but I'd had enough. Thinking about it over and over was driving me crazy. I slowly climbed down the stairs even though my mind screamed at me to run and I met her in the living room. She held a tray with a steaming bowl of soup on it, her slippers soundless against the brown hardwood floors.

"I'm pregnant."

As the weight lifted off of my heart, she dropped the tray, the bowl falling to the floor with a shatter and spilling porridge everywhere. Dad whipped his head up from the paper he was reading on the couch in front of the fireplace and gave me a wide-eyed stare. My heart felt like it was racing its way up my throat and the front of my nightgown started to soak with tears as I dropped onto the first step of the staircase.

If there was one thing I've learned this year, it's that things never go the way we think they will.

"Oh, sweetheart." Mum rushed to me and hugged my crumpled form, whispering reassurances and rocking me like she used to do whenever I'd come home from a bad day at school.

Eventually, dad came and kneeled in front of us, placing his hands on my mum's shoulder and on my head.

I was brought back to the present by Draco's own hand clasping mine as he rocked us gently.

"I've missed you, sexy know-it-all."

"Somehow that doesn't sound like a compliment, cute jerk." I turned in his grasp and laid across his chest. "I missed you as well. So? What have you been up to? Why did you come rushing in here like death was at your heels?"

He rolled his eyes and looked back down at me with the most angelic smile I'd ever seen. "Parkinson, but never mind that. I've found out a bit about that Delores woman, not as much as I'd have liked to. All I could dredge up was her name, that she worked for the Minister and also headed the Improper Use of Magic sector of the ministry. My theory so far is that the Ministry suspects Dumbledore of doing some illegal thing and they're sending in one of their own to keep an eye on the teachers in the meantime."

I nodded solemnly, knowing that he got more information than I did considering I could only use my textbooks as a reference. Going to Diagon Alley was out of the question considering my parent's constant need to check on me due to my newfound... 'momness'.

"Enough about that, how's the little guy?" His hands cradled my stomach and rubbed softly.

I looked down at the tiny two-inch bump that formed as my stomach and giggled softly. "First off, I'm fine so I assume that means they are too. Second, it could be a girl. Actually, I'd almost surely want a girl."

"Oh please, you're daft if you think it's anything other than a strong, male heir to my family's name."

We bantered on as the train rolled us towards our home of the past six years.

The school looked like the same old medieval castle it always did. Dark and looming as the horses pulled up to the front and we all gathered at the entrance. Students listened to McGonagall drone on like every year, welcoming us back and commenting on our studies but she seemed hesitant this semester.

Even as we all pushed to get into the great hall for dinner it felt colder than usual. Something was off, very off. When Draco tugged me towards his table I shook my head, thinking some normalcy was needed even if I wasn't exactly invited at my house table. I sat near the front a distance away from where I use to sit with Harry and Ron and folded my arms down by my stomach under the table, looking around and occasionally spying on Draco when it didn't seem too obvious.

"What's the matter? Get into a fight with him already?" Ron sat down on my left and I couldn't help but glance to my right where Harry would normally sit, but no luck this time. Seems it would just be me and Ronald to hash it out.

"Not at all, I just thought the first day back after break warranted some familiarity. And you? Why would you be all the way up here? Where's Harry?" I looked over his head at the multitude of students still filtering in.

"He'll be here, but I'm tired, Hermione. Tired of all the secrets and the fighting. You've got to tell us something if you want us to understand!" He grabbed my arms lightly and I felt all my resolve turn to ash at the pleading look on his face. "Harry may not want to admit it since you're with Malfoy after all, but I know we've been selfish. We didn't mean to be but we were. I'm sorry, We're sorry. But we want to understand you, so whenever you're ready to talk, we'll listen."

"That was... Exactly what I needed to hear Ron." I couldn't help but throw my arms around his neck and squeeze him, it seemed my clumsy ginger had done some maturing. "I missed you both as well, you'll never know how much. I'm sorry things happened the way they did. How about we all talk in the common room tonight?"

I was too excited, my mind racing in a million different directions but my mood never changing, the joy I had after thinking I'd lost two precious things just to gain two other ones was lifting and I realized I could have everything I wanted.

"The common room will be awfully crowded; do you really want to risk someone overhearing it all? Not like you two aren't public or anything but you're not exactly anyone's number one right now. How about we sneak into your room? We should be able to sneak back out when we're done talking." He suggested, starting to look for Harry's tall frame amongst the thinning crowd.

"You know Lavender will probably be in there, she'd have a field day after overhearing us, not to mention she wouldn't be able to tear herself away from you. How about we meet in your dorm?"

"While that would be better for Harry and me, Neville would have some objections. He sleeps like a log and always goes to bed early so it would be a touch-and-go situation the entire time." He objected.

"Right, then I suppose we'll just have to settle with mine. If we're lucky maybe Brown will be enjoying the welcome back gathering with the rest of them."

I turned towards the end of the table and poked Ron's shoulder, pointing Harry out to him sitting between Neville and Seamus. After a few half-hearted goodbyes, I was left to my own devices again, just looking around and shooting glances at Harry as he spoke to Ron.

"Attention, students!" McGonagall stood in her usual chair, and for once I noticed that Dumbledore didn't sit in his usual seat in the middle of the huge table. I was probably the least surprised out of the student body but the sight of Snape sitting in his chair was still shocking nonetheless. "Again, Welcome back for your second semester at Hogwarts! We hope to see you all test well on your exams. I'm sure many of you have some questions about your headmaster and I shall leave that to your-"

The woman in pink, Delores Umbridge, looked just as she did in my dream. She had on a pink blazer and skirt and the wrinkles in her face were prominent. Her pink lipstick stained lips were quirked upwards but it didn't seem like she was happy. Although she cut the Professor off with a quick "New Professor Umbridge!" As she stood up and looked out at all of us.

There were a few snickers from a certain table at seeing McGonagall's displeased face as she took her seat. After a slow glance from our 'new professor', they seemed to grow deadly silent.

"As I was saying, I'd like to properly introduce myself to you all. I'm Professor Umbridge and I shall be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts here at Hogwarts for your remaining semester. Due to some complications your beloved headmaster Albus Dumbledore will be away for the foreseeable future and in his place, is the very capable Severus Snape!"

An eruption of voices, loud and panicked, was the only way to describe what happened in that moment. The great hall was filled with them and my eyes met the only other calms ones in the room. We shared a look, his cautious and mine a bit worried as I shot a look towards Harry who was close to freaking out at the end of the table.

Then it felt like the air was stolen from the room, the once chattering voices gone with a wave of the older witch's hand and nothing left but the panicked face of the students who choked on air. A silencing spell, effective but barbaric to use in a school setting when the children had every right to be alarmed.

"Ah, much better. Now, there's no need to panic, really. I'm just here to make sure you all become the best and brightest of the wizarding world. That's all the ministry has ever tried to accomplish and I assure you that you are in very capable hands."

She sat back down and motioned to Snape, who just raised his eyebrows before clapping hands together. The food appeared on the table and everyone continued to look up at the head table, fear clouding everyone's eyes as the woman turned back towards our new headmaster.

"Oh, it's awfully late in the night. Students need to have at least eight hours of rest to be at their full capacity for learning, don't you think?"

"So, you intend to send them off without supper?"

"I'm sure they've enjoyed food before getting here, we wouldn't want to encourage gluttony in such youth." She turned back to the rest of the student body and stood, the plastic smile never leaving her face, "Now off to bed with you all, and remember the rules!"

When the silencing spell was lifted only sighs and deep breaths were heard, no one dared speak up or utter a word about the half a day's train ride it took for us all to get here. Everyone rushed out, squeezing through the three entrances as fast as they could and breaking up into groups to get to their common rooms.

I headed with the Gryffindors, many of them too frightened at what we'd all just witnessed to bother with hating me, politely nodding to me when they bumped into me. We'd made it most of the way when a hand shot out from behind me and grabbed my arm.


	16. Silent Interruptions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any part of the Harry Potter universe or its characters! All rights to J. K. Rowling.

"Oh, there you are, Draco. I was wondering if you'd made it out of there alright. She's more intimidating than I would've imagined, don't you think? Well, we don't need to worry about that now, I'll talk to you in the morning, we still have first class together, right?"

"Yes, it's charms this time, but that's not why I stopped you. Our room is back that way." He said exasperated, glancing around as the halls started thinning of students and he became visibly antsier.

I didn't blame him, the thought of being caught by that woman out here alone left a bad taste in my mouth and I could feel my heart rate picking up. "Oh, I'm sorry. I, um, I'm going back to my dorm tonight. You should too. I have some things I need to take care of but I promise I'll talk to you tomorrow, please?"

He seemed too anxious to argue with me, this new way of school life getting to both of us more than we'd like to admit. He gave me a chaste kiss on my lips, one that left me wanting even as I hurried on to my common room and uttered the password.

Once inside it was worlds different than the deathly quiet hallways. Students were taking up just about all of the available space and even yelling to be heard over one another. Passing comments of worry and fear darted around the room as I made my way over to the girl's dormitories. I tried to use the vantage point from the steps to locate Harry and Ron and wasn't disappointed when I spotted them over by the fireplace. For once their stature served as helpful but I couldn't manage to make eye contact with everyone crowding around, wanting answers that Harry just couldn't give them.

I was left to just go back up to my dorm and was shocked when I didn't see any of my bags near my bed, not even books in the trunk at the foot of my bed. It looked like my stuff wasn't even brought here.

I heard a bit of a yell come from the common room and darted back out the door stopping at the foot of the stairs to gaze at our house leader, McGonagall as she stood in front of the closed portrait.

"Now students, I realize this is quite a shock to you all and for that, I offer my apologies. There is much that cannot be explained but I will say that from now onward everyone should mind the rules of the school diligently and focus on your studies. Now if you'll please, curfew has been moved from ten to eight, all students are to be in their dormitories."

With that everyone started to move, I wasn't sure if it was just me but I could sense the reluctance in the respected professor's eyes and tone as she spoke to us. Once I saw her turn her back I rushed through the throng of students.

"Professor! Excuse me but I can't seem to find my things anywhere. Have my dorms been switched?"

Her eyes widened as she took me in and then grew curious. "Miss Granger, I honestly didn't expect you to be here. It's not that you've _been_ moved such as you moved yourself. I suspect you'll find your things in the Room of Requirements."

"Why would they be there?" I was shocked, not sure how McGonagall even knew that I knew where it was.

"What did you think being Head Girl meant, Miss Granger? You and Mister Malfoy are to share a common room to better find ways to lead the students. However, I must admit this is the first time the Room of Requirements has been that shared space. Although I suspect that it is beyond the best choice given our certain... Company. Just try to exercise discretion with who knows this information."

With that she nodded to me and left, seeing herself out and extinguishing the fireplace in her wake. I made my way blindly back to my dorm and shed off my robe, sighing at the long sleeve turtleneck and jeans I was left to sleep in.

Why wouldn't McGonagall want me telling others about the room? Actually, that wasn't much of a surprise considering we weren't even supposed to be in it. I suppose the better question is who doesn't she want to know?

I suppose since there won't be any talks with the boys it was best to just go to bed. As uncomfortable as it was in my day clothes sleep found me quickly as I unconsciously cradled my flat stomach.

The morning sunlight streamed through the dorm and I turned over, a nasty habit I'd picked up whilst at home with my parents. The alarms in my head started to fire off as I remembered what had occurred yesterday and I shot up in bed, my legs tangled in sheets and a cramp shooting into my stomach at the sudden movement.

I noticed Brown and our other roommate were still fast asleep and one look at our wall clock told me it was only six in the morning. I got up and walked to the bathroom, looking for my bathing towel before remembering none of my belongings were even in here.

My options for things to do were slim, I could go see about Ron and Harry but to walk freely into the boys' side of the dorms was a bit much, not to mention I didn't want to give Neville a heart attack first thing in the morning. There was no way I was going to walk out into the hall and risk being interrogated or given detention, although why would I get detention for being up early?

I straightened my bed and laid on my side, my body sinking into the downy softness that didn't seem to be there before. It suddenly felt so wonderful to just lay there and before I knew it I was asleep again.

"Hermione! Wake up already or else you'll be late!"

"Go away, mum..."

"I'm not your bloody mum! Honestly, I have half a mind to flip you out of bed."

I opened my sleepy tired eyes to find Lavender's muddy brown ones looking back at me. Once she saw mine she turned and strutted out of the dorm and I sat up feeling a slight headache coming on, my body felt like lead had been poured into it and the last thing I wanted to do was get up but one look at the clock told me the breakfast was five minutes away and I didn't even want to imagine what the Umbridge woman would do if children came in late for anything.

The walk down the stairs was a slow one, I couldn't seem to shake the tired weight of sleep off and so I leisurely made my way to the common room, heading for the door until I noticed Harry and Ron walking over to join me.

"Geez, I've never seen you this tired, 'Mione. If you walk any slower we'll have to carry you to make it on time." Ron nudged my right side and nearly bumped me into Harry, who was looking at the floor and chuckled to himself but not making any other comments.

"It's just a slow morning for me I suppose, I'm sorry. Anyway, how are you two? Was the burrow as lively as it usually is?" A look at Ron's face told me that was not a good question.

"It was... Fine. A lot of talking and the like but nothing worth noting. Besides I'm more interested in that explanation you promised, eh?"

"Nice deflection, but I don't know where to start. What do you want to know?" I glanced around and was satisfied that there were only a few people in the halls.

"How about the beginning?" At my scowl, he rolled his eyes. "Not a joking crowd, I see. Well, how did you start talking to the ferret?"

"He has a- You know what? Never mind. I guess you could say it started that day after I got tomato soup rained on me courtesy of Pansy Parkinson. "I launched into the story, including Bailey and her mum but hesitating and finally deciding not to include the cryptic Dumbledore parts.

"So, to recap, "We had gotten into the great hall by now and sat at the huge table in our normal spots.

I held up my hand gestured to the rest of the table, specifically towards the middle of the group where Lavender sat talking to her friends and shooting glances at Ron and I talking.

He lowered his voice so that Harry and I could hear but kept going, "Malfoy found a magic cat, asked you for pet tips then sent you to find the magical mother. Who may or may not be the one who nearly killed the kitten mother and you two have just decided to date in the meantime? Sorry, 'Mione, but that seems kind of..."

"Shallow, and not at all the full story." Harry finally spoke up, his eyes boring into mine and making me uncomfortable. Not only because he was staring but because it was like I could see his soul through them, the doubt and anger swirling about. The fear of something I didn't even understand and finally the disappointment.

"H-harry... Ron... Look I know that it doesn't sound very good but I can't tell you anything else. I don't even know what it is I'm supposed to tell you. Can't you just trust me?"

Before Ron could say anything and before Harry could deliver the furious answer I could see coming, a loud bell sounded. Then the talking into the room ceased, another one had us all looking towards the front, at the smiling old woman in the pink pantsuit.

"Good morning, everyone! I trust you all got a nice bit of sleep last night?" No one dared to speak out. "Good! Such wonderful young minds in this room! Now, all of you should have your schedules, please adhere to them and because the ministry is wonderfully gracious and thorough you may notice the school rules posted throughout different parts of the school. In case you need a refresher on them, of course."

She daintily sat back down and pulled in her seat, waiting on Snape who clapped his hands together and pinched the bridge of his nose. I may not trust or even know the man but at this point in time, I certainly did not envy him.

We ate breakfast, I'd eaten more than I ever had, my plate almost as full and Ron's. By the time we stood to get to class I thought they were going to have to roll me there.

When I took my seat in the back of the class, they stopped for a moment before Harry nudged Ron towards their seats, a wave of regret already claiming me until I saw the best Slytherin I'd ever met slide into the seat beside me.

"Have a nice night?" He kissed my cheek and stared at me, making me feel uncomfortable after all that I'd eaten, I felt like he could tell and my body had grown two inches in diameter.

"It wasn't as horrible as it could've been, by far. However, I regret not listening to you last night. Having to wake up and walk around in yesterday's clothes is... Not very pleasant."

He gave a short snort. "Well I am right more often than not but I think you've suffered enough. Listen I wanted to tell you something last night, I may have figured out a few our questions."

Just then Professor Flitwick stood on his stool and looked at us all with an unusually nervous expression. "Excuse me, students, I'd like to announce- Oh! Goodness me, I almost forgot! Welcome back to Hogwarts, I hope you all had a wonderful break. Now I must announce that from today onwards we will be assigning sides of the classroom to respective houses. Gryffindor's on the left and Slytherin's on the right, please."

I couldn't stop myself from asking, "Why are we doing that, Professor?"

"Oh, well, that is not a bad question Miss Granger but it's purely the rules of the school."

I gathered my stuff in my bag and watched as a few of the Slytherins changed from the back row on the left to different seats on the right. My old seat next to Harry and Ron was occupied by a Gryffindor so I sat in the back next to Seamus and tried to keep out of the blast radius.

The whole class was pretty routine, nothing special happening and not even much of any practical lessons, different wand motions and the like. When we were dismissed I finally noticed a host of posters placed on various pillars out in the main hall. The rules were completely unrealistic with things like male and female students cannot be more than five feet close to each other. I could feel Draco reading it over my shoulder and he gave a low whistle after taking it all in.

"So essentially our entire relationship is in some way breaking... four rules?" He rolled his eyes and began walking to our next class, Divination.

"It's not funny, Malfoy. That woman is completely off her rocker!" I stopped mid-stride and clutched his forearm. "You said you found something out, what was it?"

He dragged me along to our next class but kept his voice low. "I was thinking it over and if both my father and Umbridge work for the ministry and are both involved in this than maybe they've got something in common and that letter was more than information, it was an introduction. They're both working on something and the ministry is involved but I'm still not sure how much. If they need Dumbledore removed from school campus then I doubt it was something the Ministry would do because he's one of them, why not just question him here? I'm heading to the library after checking on Bailey and Olive but I think it's gotta be something that my family or that Umbridge woman wants. If it were the ministry wanting something there would be nothing stopping them from taking it so it has to be someone without power to just waltz into Hogwarts, at least not while the old man is around."

I mulled it over as we got to the front entrance of our class, I shot a glance at the seat Draco wanted me to occupy but stopped short and took my seat in between a smiling Ron and Harry. My instincts hadn't failed me because the professor made essentially the same announcement Flitwick had, complete with fidgeting and a half-hearted lesson.

The school didn't get interesting until DADA with our new Professor Umbridge.


	17. Cruciatus

**Disclaimer** : I don't own any part of the Harry Potter universe or it's characters! All rights to J.K. Rowling!

"Gooday children! Today we will be practicing some defense spells, specifically ones that are designed to confuse your opponent! I trust you all know a spell or two that disorients or targets an opponent mental ability? I've already made the pairs so when your name is called please step onto the platform and assume dueling position."

I didn't have a good feeling about this. However, it wasn't a request Snape hadn't asked of us before and I had enough confidence in my past experience with Harry to think I could handle myself but to practice anything other than disarming on students felt wrong, shameful even.

"Harry Potter and Theodore Nott."

I tensed even more as I watched Harry take slow steps us the platform with a smiling, cocky Nott staring at him. I closed my eyes and clenched my hands, only opening them once the word ' _engarde_ ' was uttered and they both took fighting stances.

Nott shot first, his _Confudus_ spell missing and hitting the wall before dissipating into white smoke. Then Harry shot whilst Nott was recovering, " _Ebublio"_. Nott was stuck in a bubble, floating up towards the rafters while everyone watched, most of them chuckling.

"Mister Potter I believe the instruction was to incapacitate your opponent mentally, not physically. Detention. Please step down." Umbridge finally didn't have that infuriating smile on her face, she looked annoyed.

"Detention?! For not hurting him? You can't do that!"

"Actually, it's for deliberately disobeying instruction and I have all the authority I need to do just that. We may not all be the-boy-who-lived but I very well know what my limitations are and I suggest you do the same. Now join your peers and I expect to see you after dinnertime in my office." When he just glared at her, her eyebrows shot up and her face got a bit pinker. "That's one week, want to make it two?"

He hopped off the platform and pushed his way through to the back, seething and curling his fists. I moved towards him while Umbridge brought Nott down and out of the bubble until I heard her shrill voice call my name.

"Hermione Granger and Vincent Crabbe."

I internally sighed and changed course, locating Crabbe's round body moving through the throng of students with a smirk on his face, definitely not a good one. His smirk made him seem like he was trying too hard and almost came off as a smile if not for the cocky remarks he was throwing out as he walked up the steps to the podium.

"When you're ready."

We both counted our paces and walked away from each other, by the time we said the final words I was already thinking of various charms and jinxes, a twinge of guilt ate at me the entire time. Making me rethink the ones I was considering. _Memorium Falsum_ seemed too much, making him forget even having this class seemed like a bad idea, although it might've been funny to see him act like a Gryffindor for a day. I'd cast _Confundus_ ' before to help Ron with tryouts but to see someone so helplessly confused was nearly painful. Oh! I just might have a...

Just then I spell whistled right past my head, missing me by a hair and making me flinch and nearly fall off the platform. I'd spent so much time thinking that I didn't even know what spell I'd just avoided but from the looks of those on the student body it wasn't a pleasant one. I squared my shoulders and fired off the backward charm, muttering " _Retrorsum"_ and aiming square for his chest. It didn't disappoint either, it hit him a moment later as he began walking backward towards the wall, wailing for help to the amusement of the students.

Just before I could walk off the platform myself I felt something cold at first hit my back, then it turned into a sudden burn and I went down, I lost control of my hands and my wand clattered to the ground as I clutched my chest. It burned and for a while air seemed nearly impossible to get inside my lungs, it felt like razors were scratching their way up and down my throat with each breath and the burning intensified. It was then that I was able to silently acknowledge what I was feeling the lingering effects of. The _Cruciatus_ curse.

Everything was green, a pale green like maybe you mixed green with white and was left with this pastel creation that seemed much too bright. I wasn't even in the castle for this one. This time the green overtook a large, extravagant ballroom, one with a waxed floor and a dazzling chandelier. The room was done in shades of brown to match the wooden tiled floors and I could see that even though the style was old, the furniture inside was rather modern. A bar stood off to the left and a few dark leather couches were sat by the walls.

Hard to find your way around without knowing where I am. I moved towards the closest set of double doors to my right and peeked out, seeing an empty living room with a burning fireplace. Cautiously I moved out into the room, seeing nothing but a hallway to my left and the doors I'd just come out of. The was still lit but there was no one in sight and all the movement I heard seemed to be come from the direction of the hall.

It turned out that the hall lead to rooms, I tried to open a few but the things I touched didn't move, I just stood there twisting a knob with no response. Going further down towards the rooms with open doors lead me to the kitchen which was full of house elves. All of them in sacks and moving about doing chores and preparing food. It broke my heart to see some of the older elves lifting heavy baskets of potatoes and I turned away from the door, going further down until I reached stairs, the stairs lead me to another hall and finally to a big room filled with books and a huge oak desk.

"Honestly, Lucius, what's got you into such a mood? Would you like me to make some tea?"

A finely dressed woman walked in behind an equally dressed man, she had her hands folded in front of her and she was honestly beautiful. Her platinum blonde hair that soaked up the green atmosphere was pulled strictly into a bun atop her head and her make-up was subtle but elegant. The man wore a suit, which fit the room we were in as he sat behind the hulking desk but still seemed so out of place in your own home. He shooed away the woman and she went but it didn't seem like it was entirely voluntary.

When the man found himself alone in the closed room he exhaled loud and long before picking up the phone in the corner of his desk and dialing someone, it didn't take long before I heard a muffled distant answer, it sounded like a man but the accent was hard to place.

"Hello? What is it this time?"

"Nothing that requires any panic, it's just a few onlookers in the Ministry. I need to speak with him, unless I know what it is we are after specifically then I can't question the blood traitor effectively."

The word blood traitor dripped from his mouth like acid and left a sinking feeling in my stomach the other person on the line began talking faster, his words not coming through clearly but what Lucious said was very clear.

"Yes, fine. If it is what the Dark Lord wants then it's what he'll have." He set the phone on the receiver, quickly dialing another number. "Hello, Delores? Yes, I got your message. So, it is done? Are you sure? Excellent. No, that should be enough."

He hung up the phone and his mood seemed to improve immensely as he took some parchment from out of his desk drawer and began writing with a big feather quill. I hesitantly moved towards the desk and peered over, taking more time the usual to read the upside-down scrawl in front of me.

 _Draco,_

 _I'm terribly sorry for your loss._

It seemed like I was replaying that moment for days, like a dream I couldn't wake out of or control anymore. The green remained but whenever I tried to progress and see whatever else he may have been writing to Draco, it was all lost to me. The moment going back to the very beginning when I'd first entered the office. I couldn't even go back out of the office and go to another part of the manor. I may have never been there before but it hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized why the man had looked so familiar.

He looked similar to the day when he came for Dumbledore, however Draco's mother was a new face. I rarely paid attention to the Malfoy's when everyone gathered on Platform 9 ¾ to see their children off. The sight of the aristocratic family was enough to make everyone else look down and feel inferior. Draco himself never really talked about his parents except for the one day, the bits and pieces I'd picked up about his mum was that she was beautiful as she was family-oriented. The perfect version of a family matriarch.

 _But what did Draco lose? No, who did he lose? Think, Hermione, think._ Oh! A flash of a memory flit across my mind, Umbridge and all of us in the DADA classroom. I clutched my head, pain shooting through it the more I tried to remember. What were we doing? Harry had detention, did I stick up for him? _No... I practiced with someone. I don't see their face but I fired a hex I think, are they alright? Ow, this migraine is the worst thing I've ever felt before._ The Cruciatus Curse! I was hit with it!

The moment I realized it was the moment the pain came shooting back to me, my mind blacked out for a moment, like a long blink and then I couldn't open my eyes anymore. There were voices calling my name this time though, yelling and begging but the pain burning through my chest to my arms and legs was capturing all my attention. My teeth clenched and unclenched involuntarily and my body was spasming uncontrollably.

There were more words spoken and then everything just stopped, my body was numb and limp. I was thankful the pain had stopped but now I couldn't feel anything, like I wasn't even in my own body. Opening my eyes seemed impossible so I just laid there, listening.

"There, she should no longer feel the pain but she'll have to stay here for the next day or two." Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Honestly I feel like the poor girl owns the bed after the number of times she's been here."

"There's a difference, this time it's not her fault. If that bumbling idiot hadn't used that godforsaken curse on her-" Draco was furious, of course but knowing that it was him beside me, it helped.

"Now Mister Malfoy it was an unfortunate accident. The young lad said he hadn't meant to, that just so happened to be what he was think-"

"You don't honestly believe that fat oaf, do you?! No one just silently casts an unforgiveable curse on someone without meaning to! Besides we all heard it, the moment it left his lips he sure as bloody hell didn't look sorry! Nor did it seem like a mere accident that the spell came back when it should have dissipated! This was on purpose and when I get my hands on him there will be nothing for him to be sorry about."

I could hear the pain and unbridled fury in his voice, I wanted to say something. To ask who they were talking about, who'd done this but I still couldn't, forced to just lay there and listen. At the very least I wish I could hold his hand.

"Malfoy, if you keep that up you're going to crush her hand." _Harry?_ The voice was low and positioned a few paces away from me but it was unmistakable. _If Harry was here that meant Ron must be too, right?_

"What are you even doing here, Potter?" A door closed in the distance, "Shouldn't you and your weasel be shunning her for the rest of your miserable lives? Where even is he anyway?" _Don't say that, they're my friends, Draco. Hmm, where is Ron though?_

"Just because we've been fighting doesn't mean I'm not going to be here for her. Besides you've been dating all of three months and you think that gives you some kind of claim on her? When you were the very reason she spent weeks holed up in the library reading up on anything and everything about witchcraft so that she could be a better wizard then some entitled pureblood? If you were a real friend to her then you should've started with apologizing, and maybe telling me why you two spend so much time together." _It's not his fault, Harry. It's mine. I should've told you everything but I knew you'd want to help and you just couldn't._

"Come off it, Potter! My relationships have nothing to do with you! So, what if she likes me? So, what if I love her? You call yourself a friend whilst disowning her for the company she keeps? Oh, I get it now! If everything isn't exactly how you bloody want it then you throw a tantrum and expect to get your way?" _Please stop, he isn't like that at all._

"I didn't disown her!" Harry's voice echoed off the walls and bounced back into my ears so much that I wanted to flinch away from it. "She has always been my best friend! I just couldn't understand..." His voice lowered to a near whisper, "I just couldn't understand why out of all people she would choose you over us. We've been there for her since the year started. We were there to comfort her when she cried because you'd bullied her in first year. I sat and listened when she was frustrated with you in our second. Ron gave her ideas on how to hex you when we came to our third year and now everything's so... Messed up."

There was silence, I wanted to slap myself. Maybe I deserved that curse if I was dumb enough not to realize how badly I'd treated Harry and Ron. All because I didn't feel appreciated, all because I wanted them to pay attention, not just to their studies but to me. When they couldn't do that I left and ran to the one person who seemed ready to give that to me, and when I hid behind him for everything all I was doing was shutting them out. How could I, the person everyone calls the 'brightest witch of her age' have been so completely and utterly stupid?

"I can't believe I'm saying this." He let out a long sigh, " She loved you two. Even I could tell that. Sure, I may have kept her from you whenever I thought it best, maybe I shielded her from the lot of you for too long but there wasn't a moment when she didn't have that stupid twinge in her eye for you two. Don't tell the weasel I said this but yesterday when she said she was going back to her common room she looked as happy as I'd seen her since before your fight near the train."

"Really?" There was some shuffling and Harry's voice was a bit closer. "Well, thanks for saying that. So, um, what have you two been doing?"

There was a bit of a laugh in Draco's voice as he answered. "You really want the details, Potter?"

"N-no of course not about that... Wait you two...? Never mind. It's just that Hermione didn't seem like she was telling the whole story. She told me about some cats. But it just didn't seem to fit with why you two are together."

"Do we need a reason?" A half-hearted sigh, "Look even if I wanted to tell you anything I can't just go spouting off things without her. She may not want you to know for a reason, ever think of that?"

"Even if she did, it doesn't matter. I can help, I don't know what it is but I could do something or at the very least look out for her."

More silence, until finally. "Look we don't know everything but I can tell you that Dumbledore isn't away on pleasantries. The Ministry, my father, took him for questioning. I don't know why or where, just that there's something they want and Hogwarts is smack in the middle of it."

"What?! How did you two know and not me?"

"The old man told us, said there was something we need to do but couldn't tell us what."

"That's what I mean! Why would he tell you two and not me? I'm the one who's supposed to save everyone so why involve the two of you?"

"Listen, I could give a rat's ass what your silly 'chosen one' title means. Apparently, there are two people needed for this and it only makes sense that it's us. We just don't know why or how exactly there's a solution to all this."

Something dawned on me, what if we were too focused on why? What if we ask why after and find out what the problem is. This whole time I've been trying to understand why Dumbledore would leave a mission in the hands of two teenagers, or why Snape is involved or this Umbridge woman. But now I think it's time to start asking who's in charge of all this and how can we stop them. If it really is the Dark Lord giving orders to Draco's father, then there must be some reason he wants Dumbledore gone.

If it Hogwarts, if it's something they need in here then I suppose removing Dumbledore would be exactly what they'd need to do. He protects us all and there's no one more powerful then him. What's inside Hogwarts that can aid he-who-should-not-be-named?

Another door opened and closed. "Mister Malfoy. " Madam Pomfrey seemed rushed. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you and Mister Potter to leave."

"Are you daft? I'm not leaving her!"

"You must, this is not up for discussion and the more you refuse the less time I have to help her."

Shuffling, grumbling, and finally muffled words from Harry as the door open and shut loudly. Finally, words.

"I assume you can hear me, dearie. I checked your vitals and had to leave for a bit to confirm some things but I need to do a bit of unpleasant surgery on you. Don't worry, I'll tell you everything after it's over. Now if I'm correct you can feel anything, if I'm wrong squeeze my hand." I couldn't even open my eyes let alone feel enough to squeeze her hand. I wasn't even sure if her hand was in mine. "Alright, dear."

Very soft shuffling noises came and then five minutes later I was asleep.


	18. A Plan Fit for a Slytherin

**Disclaimer** : I don't own any part of the Harry Potter universe or it's characters! All rights to J. K. Rowling!

When I woke this time, I opened my eyes a crack, thankful for the dim lighting. After opening them more fully I noticed it was only the light of a candle nearby that lit up the otherwise dark room. The curtains were drawn and the infirmary was empty save for me and the sniffling form sitting beside me.

I sat up slowly and looked over at him as he lifted his head to watch me. His cheeks were tear-streaked and his eyes were red and puffy. He looked absolutely miserable, like he did after he'd seen his father in the one place he thought he was safe from him.

"What happened? I'm okay, I'm right here." I started rubbing his shoulder but he just captured my hand and laid it on his cheek while staring at me.

"I know you're okay, thank Merlin." He sighed heavily, looking down before steeling his gaze and staring straight into my eyes. "Granger, you... we... The baby's gone."

A long pause. "What?"

He placed our hands, his shakily clenching mine over my still flat stomach and just gathered me into his arms. He climbed into my tiny bed and rocked us and the wave of sorrow engulfed me and I just about puked all over Madam Pomfrey's waxed floors.

"How is she?"

"She's... there." Olive sighed.

Draco sighed, pushing open the door to our bedroom slowly and stepping in, watching me as I laid in bed, the same way I had been for the past week. Olive curled around my chest, purring and trying to keep me warm in the chill of the room. Bailey was there too, softly pawing around the room and occasionally dragging food onto the bed for Olive to eat.

I turned over, away from the bedroom door to avoid the harsh light and brought my knees to my chest. That's when Draco lifted me and deposited me into a cold shower, nightgown and all.

"You need to get up. I don't want you in here anymore."

He began slipping the gown above my head, the cold water a shock to my system and I just looked up at him with my eyes downcast. "You want me to move my stuff?"

"Don't be stupid. I want you to live, Hermione. I... I lost her too but you cannot just hide away in here pretending to be on bedrest. We need to do something and it's taken me every ounce of willpower not to kill Crabbe. I'm almost out of it and if you want to keep me out of Azkaban then I need you."

By the time he was finished talking, I was completely nude and sitting at the bottom of the shower with water dripping through my matted hair. I nodded feeling that hollow twinge in my heart pulse and the rigid muscles I hadn't used in a week strain and protest as I hoisted myself up. Draco left me to clean and by the time I was done I was looking down at my body disdainfully. My ribs showed slightly and my face looked drawn, I was a mess.

I stepped out into the living room with my robes on and he opened his arms wordlessly, offering me a safe haven. I went and we embraced silently before he let me go. "You need food and we need to get to the bottom of things. I need blood."

We went to the great hall and I was thankful everyone was elsewhere and nodded when Draco explained that they were more than likely at Hogsmeade, wanting even twenty minutes away from here these days.

"I think Voldemort may be behind the Dumbledore thing." It had been swirling in my mind along with the thought that Draco's own father is a death eater.

"O... kay. Why would you assume that?"

"When you and Harry were talking-"

"You heard that?!"

"Yeah, I... couldn't feel anything though... so I just had to listen. While you two were talking I... thought about something." I dreaded the slow broken way I was speaking but I couldn't make my voice doing anything but speak in uncertainties. "I had a dream that I was at your... house. I went into your father's study and..." Should I tell him?

"And?"

"I saw him writing a letter to you, it said sorry for your loss and I couldn't-"

He paled, his face going stark with horror as he reached into his side robe pocket and pulled out a thin, white letter with his family's green seal. He shakily ripped open the letter and began reading, looking more and more green with each motion of his eyes before finally slamming down the paper. on the table, the noise ringing out and startling several working elves clearing tables of food.

I reached and took the letter, skimming it and reading in horror as his father apologized for the loss of his 'bastard' child and warning him to break up with me or else I would be next. I wanted to throw up and scream and break things. One look at Draco's vibrating body told me he was leaning more towards breaking things.

I grabbed his hand and smoothed out his clenched fingers until his palm was flat on mine and his breathing was labored. "We have a direction to go in now. If I'm right and Voldemort is behind this then that means there's something in Hogwarts that he wants. Which is why he needed Dumbledore gone and I bet he want Umbridge to find it for him. If that's true then we need to find out what it is or... Get rid of Umbridge and bring back Dumbledore!"

I clamped my hand over my mouth at the over-excited deduction came out of my mouth and he seemed to think about it before nodding.

"No one's giving up any information on what could be hiding away at this blasted school, any one of these rooms could hold different magical artifacts and that's not counting the many holed up in the old man's office. We'd spend a century looking for clues and might not find anything. If we are to get him back, however, then it has to be more than just breaking him out of the Ministry we need to find a way to make them bring him back."

"How would we do that? If they think he's got something or some kind of information how do we get him back?" I took one last bite of my eggs before shoving the plate away and standing up. "Come on, I think I have an idea of where to look for some clues."

We showed up at the library, Draco lingered in the great hall for a moment before coming out and walking with me. I browsed through the shelves taking out several books that delved into magical artifacts and one about the Ministry.

Bring them all back to our table and plopping them down before opening the one on the Ministry. I felt his eyes on me but when I looked up he was opening a book with a tiny smile on his face. Guys are so weird... Unless maybe he was making fun of how I look. He wouldn't... Huh?

"Draco! Look it says here that the Ministry has been made up of different departments but there is one whose members aren't widely known, they call themselves the Order of the Pheonix. While most of their purpose in unclear many believe them to be looking for a way to finally end he-who-should-not-be-named."

Draco had his hand propping up his cheek as he gazed sleepily at me. "How does that help us? It doesn't say what they're after or how they plan on defeating him."

"No but the book does go on to speak about the tactics they've tried and it says right here had the boy-who-lived been older they would have recruited him when they found him at his birth home."

"But if the answer really is Potter than why involve us? Why would Dumbledore jump through hoops, even if he didn't have to, to bring us together and call us to his office to tell us he was leaving? Why go through all of that when it could've been solved from the start with Potter?"

"Indeed... Unless Harry is the key to the first part of all this. Simply getting the Order involved with Harry isn't enough. Even if Harry could convince them to bring Dumbledore back to Hogwarts we need a reason to keep him here and to prove whatever it is they think is going on, isn't."

"How do we do that without knowing what's going on?"

"Well if we assume that anything that can lead them to getting the advantage over Voldemort would suffice then I don't see why we need to know exactly what they're after. Trust me."

"What about my father?"

"One thing at a time, love."

When I entered class the next day it was like I'd died and come back to life. Everyone stared and watched as I got in my old seat waiting for Harry and Ron to show up. It was hard to act like the staring didn't bother me but what was I supposed to say? 'Excuse me, everyone, yes I was the target of an unforgivable curse and I know that's unheard of among students but if you don't mind I'm dealing with personal things at the moment'?

"'Mione!" Ron came and hugged me tightly as he sat down, Harry coming and doing the same once he could pry Ron off long enough. "Madam Pomfrey said you couldn't have visitors for the past week, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Ron. It just took me a long time to recover. I'm still getting better but I'm fine. Actually, Harry, I've been meaning to ask you if you'd talked to Ron since my stint in the infirmary. Does he know of my... condition?" I tried to make as much eye contact as possible but I wasn't even entirely sure I was doing it right and not just looking like a loon.

"Oh yeah, he knows about everything." Harry shrugged as if to say 'what are you going to do? It's Ron we're talking about.'

"Good well then I need to ask something of you. It seems that I do need your help after all." I lowered my voice and cursed the horrible timing of Flitwick entering the class. Thankfully I was able to write and so I passed my note sheet to him as if letting him copy, which wasn't unheard of for us.

" _I need you to get in contact with someone from the Ministry. Tell them you want to be a part of the Order of the Pheonix_."

He glanced down and his brows furrowed, quickly writing back to me, " _I don't know how to get in touch with the Ministry and even if I do, what's the Order of the Pheonix?_ "

" _It's an organization dedicating to fighting Voldemort, besides I really need you to help with this if you want Dumbledore back. Can't you owl Mad-eye Moody?_ "

" _I haven't kept in touch with the man! He helped me and that was about it. Isn't there someone else I could ask?_ "

I rattled it around in my brain, there aren't many people we knew that even had a slim connection to the Ministry, except for Moody and... " _That's it! Arthur might know! Get in touch with Ron's parents and I bet that Ron's dad would know at least one person you could go to for that! He's about as good and righteous as_ anyone _we've ever met._ "

He shot me a look before turning back to take notes, I tried not to laugh at his put-out look as I tore and crumpled the parchment I'd been using. I sighed heartily and put a tick on my internal to-do list. Now to get Draco's half of phase one.

Draco and I met after dinner in our room, I was getting out of the shower when he came into the room looking like he'd been in a rainstorm.

"What's got you all out of breath?" I cocked my head to the side and frowned when he tossed his bag lazily anywhere in the huge space.

"I swear it's like that woman has every teacher in the school acting like guard dogs. I barely lost Flitwick in the halls on the fourth floor and wouldn't be surprised if he made a note of it."

"Oh no, we can't afford to get separated now, we need more time. Harry promised he would send off the letter tonight. Did you draft yours?"

He walked to ten feet separating us and handed me a neatly folded letter, after skimming it I nodded and refolded it. Just when I was going to turn back towards our room his hands ensnared my hips and he pulled me into his chest.

"You smell good." He leaned in and nipped my shoulder playfully, rubbing his cheek across my collarbone.

My immediate reaction was to push him away, I wasn't ready for that yet. Not to mention with the way I "coped" with the loss, I'm not the most attractive person. However, I felt how he was gripping my hips, not moving from that spot and the kisses he placed on my neck felt good and caring. Maybe he meant what he said, that he needed me.

He held me close to his chest as I walked to our bedroom, playfully staying nearby while I changed but never once going too far or too fast. He would've made a great father...

"Alright, so after Harry joins the Order we send your "father's" letter off to the Ministry. They'll come here with Dumbledore thinking he'll lead them to something he's been keeping 'to defeat the Dark Lord himself'."

"Right, but how do we get them to keep him here for more than a day?"

"Once they're here we're going to need a big distraction, like a Seamus explosion multiplied by five."

"Why can't we just knock them out and change their memories?"

"If we did that we'd have to find a way to change the whole Ministry's memories. There'd be nothing stopping the rest of the Ministry if they wanted to question those we sent back and thinking this was all some elaborate escape plan of Dumbledore's. If that happened then they would lock him away for sure and probably think he's in league with the death eaters or something."

"But this is an elaborate escape plan..."

I made a face at him as I slid underneath the sheets and sat up, cradling Olive in my arms. It always surprised me how the old mother let me dote on her but it seemed that she loved it and I always had a fondness for cats. "So, once we find a distraction we need to find a way to expose Umbridge. I highly doubt that the Ministry would condone the things she's doing to students. Which reminds me, you said Crabbe was the one who cursed me, right?"

"Don't remind me." He ground out between clenched teeth.

"I'm just asking because I don't recall him getting a punishment. I mean Harry got one for simply entrapping Nott in a bubble. The curse Crabbe used is not only unforgivable but also, highly illegal. If I can prove that he hasn't been punished by Umbridge or anyone then that would certainly interest the Ministry, don't you think?"

"How do we prove that? For all we know he has detention right now."

"Would it kill you to be even the slightest bit optimistic?" A dim bulb lit in my head and I smiled. "I might have just the answer for that. If Crabbe was told to do that to me by Umbridge then he would certainly talk to her about it."

Draco turned unsteadily to me with raised eyebrows. "What are you getting at here, Granger?"

"We need a strand of Umbridge's hair, I'm going to make Crabbe tell his own tale to the Ministry."


	19. Judge and Jury

**Disclaimer** : I do not own any part of the Harry Potter Universe or it's characters. All rights to J.K. Rowling.

That morning I sprung out of bed with more energy I'd felt since my mom took me shopping over break. Oh no, it's going to crush them when I tell them what happened... No, first things first. Have to save Dumbledore... and then I can mourn.

I was awake and dressed before Draco had even turned over due to the sun being in his eyes. I sat on the couch with Olive and Bailey contemplating how I was going to get a strand of Umbridge's hair without her noticing. I'm sure there would be hair on some of her clothes but she doesn't seem like the sort to hand her suits off for house elves to wash. She'd notice if anyone was trying to get close to her, especially since most spent their time trying to stay out of her purview. How else could I get her DNA?

"Come on, maybe we'll think of something once we've had breakfast." Draco came out from the bathroom in his robes and smelled deliciously of mint.

I let him lead me out of our room and we kept on high alert until we reached the third floor, both of us finally taking a breath. As we walked the halls I couldn't help but notice how in just a few short weeks the school has changed. I used to be able to spot a group of students in just about any hallway, just milling about when there were no classes to be had. Now the halls were empty except for the people rushing to get to the great hall or the people rushing to go back to the safety of their dorms, this place has become a bloody prison.

"If I find anything of Umbridge's I'll see what I can do. For now, I think you should try to glean what happened at detention from Potter. If Crabbe didn't get one then you should be able to see what she does when she actually does want the student to be punished."

I nodded and sat across from Ron who was busy devouring his breakfast and turned to Harry who was scarcely picking at his. "Is everything alright? Did something happen?"

Harry just shrugged and sighed, "I sent the message, I suspect if this Order of yours is interested they'll be coming with the rest of the mail anytime now."

"That's great, so why do you look as if someone's knocked over Hedwig's cage?"

He met my eyes and gave me a half-hearted smile. "There's a game today. I know... I know with everything that's happened and is happening the last thing you want to do is come watch us play a... stupid game but," He grasped my hand tightly. "I want you to be safe, we both do and wouldn't it be safer to be where everyone else is?"

"Oh, Harry..." I patted his cheek lightly and smiled, "Nothing's stupid if it matters to you. Of course, I'll..." Another bulb, a quick thought had me smiling immensely. "I'll be there but after I do something, alright?"

"What's there to do, classes are cut short for the game and I'm sure even with all this happening you've done your homework three times over."

"Well if I'm correct and everyone will be there then that means Umbridge will too. If she's there, then I can sneak into her office and find something I need." I whispered, sure I looked like a crazy person with all the smiling I was doing.

Although instead of celebrating with me or even just ignoring my happy demeanor, Harry went nearly white. His grip on my hand tightened automatically and he shook his head. "No, no absolutely not. Hermione that woman is... If she catches you doing anything of the sort there's no telling what she would do. You can't go around trying to break into people's offices." His whispered words rushed out, getting faster and more panicked until he got to the end, breathing heavier than normal and nearly shaking.

"Wh-what did she do to you, Harry?"

Umbridge stood and silenced the room, giving the morning speech, complete with a good luck to all the players in today's game. By the time she sat and the food arrive the owls were flitting through the window delivering mail. Two letters dropped in front of Harry and one in front of Ron, I kept my eyes on Harry and I fed Hedwig and the Weasley's family owl, Errol. When he got done reading I placed my hand gently over the first letter until he met my eyes.

"Tell me what happened, Harry. What was your punishment?" I pleaded, fear starting to creep into my chest, making me rethink everything and just wanting to steal Dumbledore away just so I wouldn't have to face this woman who seemed so much more dangerous than her pink suit suggested.

Harry found himself nervous as he approached the woman's office, his anger at the outrage detention still lingering but warning bells shot off inside his head. He'd been to different detentions before. McGonagall preferred to leave him and Ron to extra homework in the empty classroom. Snape was a fan or having his ingredient organized and very rarely sent me off to Hagrid to get special ingredients from the Forbidden Forest. He had no idea what this Umbridge woman was going to do.

He squared his shoulders and pushed open the door that once belonged to the head of house Slytherin.

"Tardiness is unacceptable, Mister Potter. Take a seat." Professor Umbridge pointed to a seat at the head of the class, stationed in front of her desk that looked like a pink cloud had rained all over it.

He took a look at the clock and noticed all his stalling outside had made him one minute late and tried hard not to roll his eyes, for once trying to channel Hermione and be the good student she was. He slid into the desk and waited for the next instruction while she rummaged through her desk. Finally, she came and sat a quill and parchment in front of him and resumed her seat at her desk, snapping at him when he lifted the quill.

"I know you're eager, Mister Potter, but it's not yet time for that. First, I would like you to ask you some questions." Harry uneasily lowered the quill, dreading whatever she was about to ask if it meant dragging out the time he was going to be here with her. "Who do you know that works in the Ministry?"

"No one... Except for my... friend's dad."

"Ah, yes. The Weasley child, correct?" Harry nodded, his confusion being tainted with heavy skepticism, "Does his father ever speak to you about going's on inside the Ministry?"

"No, ma'am."

She watched him steadily, making him uneasy. There was no reason for him to lie, as far as he was concerned what Ron's father did at the Ministry was nothing but boring Magical Affairs work. He never really made an attempt to tell Ron or Harry anything unless it put them directly in harm's way or left Ron's mother, Molly at home alone for the time being.

After a few more minutes of intense staring, staring which involved a weird sensation clouding Harry's head, he decided he'd had enough of this little interrogation. "Miss?"

With her concentration broken and a disgruntled look on her face she gestured towards the quill haughtily and waited for Harry to pick it up. He used the inkwell but stopped looking up at her, "What am I to write, Miss?"

"That's Professor to you. Write the phrase 'I will follow instructions'"

"That's all?" She told him to be here directly after dinner just so she could ask him some silly questions and make him write one sentence? This woman really was crazy.

"I'll tell you when to stop."

She smiled grimly at him and the look did nothing for his confidence. He was beginning to think that he was not exactly in sane company. When the tip of the quill dripped with ink he started on the sentence, writing it fast until the sharp pains in his forearm made him drop it.

He looked down and sucked air through his clenched teeth as he observed the bloody scrawl on the inside of his arm. His gaze went from the messy handwriting on the parchment, to the similar looking cuts on his arm, to the nonchalant professor pretending not to pay any attention to him. He wanted so badly to yell, to demand what kind of sick game she enjoyed playing on teenagers but at this moment something told him that this wasn't a battle he wanted to fight.

The fear gripped him a little tighter and so he cradled his arm, hoping he wouldn't have to write anymore but alas, there was no mercy when you're around the devil.

"If you can't even finish one sentence by lights out, Mister Potter, then I'm afraid you'll be having detention with me for the next two weeks."

"This can't be legal! You can't do this!"

She rose from her desk so that she was taller than his sitting form and leaned towards him. "A little blood quill too much for the 'boy who lived'? Do you want to be the hero? Then learn to take a few scratches."

She sat back down wordless and resumed whatever task she had whilst Harry's blood boiled. Over the past three years, he's learned to take more than his fair share of scratches but the cruelties of the world never ended, it seemed. He braced himself and took the quill into his left hand, knowing his right was the one being torn by his shaking handwriting. The blood that flowed from his forearms seemed to disappear and it was only when he'd finally heard her say he was done, did he noticed his sentences were written in blood.

"That's... That's terrible." I squeezed his hand tightly and gently lifted up his right arm, noting the faint scarring and resisting the urge to hug him. "I'll figure this out, Harry. I swear. I know that... that you don't want me to but I promise I'll be careful. Are you going back for detention this week?" He shrugged noncommittally but we both knew he would. "Hey, meet me in the library tonight, okay?"

So much more to think about, now more than ever. This woman was some kind of monster. First to ask a student, even one as horrible and troublesome as Crabbe, to perform an unforgivable curse on another. Then to use blood magic on a student for simply choosing not to harm another.

I couldn't bring myself to eat, just pushed my food around and tried to tune into the conversation, maybe ease Harry's thoughts a bit more that everything would be okay.

By the time we were all off to our shortened classes I had nearly convinced myself to back out. What good would it do to prove Umbridge was less than fit to care for children? What if they just decided to replace her with another from the Ministry and never gave Dumbledore back?

The bell Umbridge had installed to have us in and out of class promptly, sounded in the distance. I walked in a daze to nowhere in particular, everyone rushing to get the good seats in the stands. I glanced around the halls as I walked, intent on going towards the field but when I looked up at something other than my feet I was going down the main hall towards the DADA classroom. I should've borrowed Harry's cloak...

I hid behind a nearby pillar for a long time, thinking that she wouldn't be rushing like everyone else and maybe might've decided to stay behind for a bit. The last thing I needed to was to walk into her as she was leaving, earning myself detention and a terrible reason for being here.

I tested the knob gently on the door, when it refused to turn I bit my lip anxiously. If she locked it that could mean she's left already. Footsteps echoed around the hall causing me to yelp and go back to the pillar but then the fanfare started, the screams and cheers and I sighed in relief.

My nerves were at an eleven as I unlocked the door with my wand, moving into the room with hasty glances and feeling my heart on my tongue.


	20. Prep Work

The classroom smelled a bit stale from under-use, no one wants to relive anything close to what happened to me but no one had a choice either. Her 'practice' was very tame after that accident with Crabbe, since she no longer had a target...

I headed towards her pink desk and tried to peer at all the things strew about, parchment, quills, envelopes, and an old phone. Nothing that screamed 'I have hair on me'. Her pink blazer was slung over the back of her chair and I tried not to jostle it as I pulled back the fabric, looking for even the slightest hair. Just when I was about to dismiss it altogether I caught sight of a think brown strand clinging to my thumb. I examined it and looked back at my own hair distastefully.

Oh, great now I might just have one of my own hairs... I don't have time to dawdle here like this. My nerves were so shot from the tension I could've sworn I heard footsteps coming down the hall as the score for the game was shouted using the charmed microphone. I folded the hair inside my robe pocket, at least I think I did but it was hard to tell with something so small. I waited with baited breath behind the doorway. Waiting to see if my fears were correct.

When the wait turned into silly more than tense I turned the knob and swiftly locked the door, running down the hallway like my life depended on it. When I got to the side entrance closest to the field I saw that the stands were packed and I was standing close to where some of the teachers were sitting, tight-lipped. No sight of Professor Umbridge or even of Ginny as I searched for a more familiar face amongst the stand.

I huddled under a few stands and continued to search, looking up periodically to see someone score or Harry get close to catching the snitch. I smiled, so proud that even though he seemed so troubled earlier, he seemed so happy now. He really did love Quidditch.

A few more stands and I saw catching the side of Draco's bored expression, his eyes darted around the field with a fire in them that told me more than his eye rolls and fake yawns did. I craned my neck to see if Ginny might've been amongst those in the neighboring balcony but only got a sight full of Umbridge, watching intently but seemingly just sitting there. Going through the motions of watching a sport like someone enduring it for a loved one.

However, I did see a bright bouncing head of red hair two stands over and rushed through more beams to see if my suspicions were correct. I happily eyed Ginny and pushed through several students to get to her, shooting apologized glances and a beaming smile to her once I was seated.

"What? Not a nice view where you were?" She questioned, her eyes lit with excitement and a twinge of adoration I was too relieved to comment on.

"Something like that." I finally breathed properly for what felt like hours and felt the boulder on my chest lighten, for once just letting the mood in the room wash over me.

After the game, Gryffindor won against Hufflepuff of course, I met up with Harry and Ron. Giving Ron a welcomed hug before moving on to Harry who squeezed me like he hadn't seen me in years. I smiled and nodded at him before passing him on to Ginny who was as impressed with him as she was flustered.

I wanted to stay and enjoy the "after party" they were having in the common room because I could feel everyone slowly forgetting that this wasn't just business as usual at Hogwarts.

I slipped out traipsed past the wandering Professors and Filch and closed the Room of Requirements behind me. Bailey and Olive peeked their heads out from behind the couch but relaxed once they saw it was me.

"Welcome back, Hermione." Olive, ever the regal personality, bowed her head once before hopping back on the couch.

"Hiya, Mistress!" Bailey, on the other hand, was full of energy and came running up to my ankles. She was really growing big.

"We talked about this Bailey, just call me Hermione." I dropped my bag beside the door and was greeted by Draco's head popping out from behind our bedroom door.

"Where were you today? It's like you disappeared after breakfast."

"How do you know I wasn't at the game?" I walked towards the bedroom and into his outstretched arms.

"Besides that obvious question? I didn't see you."

"It's a large stadium, maybe we were just too far away." I challenged playfully.

He lifted my chin and kissed me with that bloody smirk on his face. "I could find you anywhere, Hermione." He earned a smile for that one and a lengthy kiss which he took himself.

"Well, that's good, because I need to get started on this potion that will make me someone else."

That morning I grabbed my cauldron and filled it with a bit of water and set it to boil. Since Umbridge was running her 'office' out of the Potions classroom and not the original DADA one it was going to be tricky to get the ingredients. However, Draco claimed Snape had a supply room that he kept large quantities of whatever was in his office. I left it up to him to get the ingredient for the polyjuice potion and went to my classes. There was no sign of Umbridge knowing I had been in her office and for that I was relieved.

"'Mione. I'm at a loss what to do now. They want someone to meet me at Hogsmeade and discuss things." Harry fretted as we sat in Divination.

"Don't worry, Harry. It's not like you're dealing with the devil here. I'll go with you next Saturday and in the meantime just send them back an owl telling them where you'd feel comfortable meeting and when."

He nodded and looked down at the table, a bit forlorn. I looked up at the professor and waited class out, stopping him as he was gathering his books.

"There's something wrong, what is it?" I searched his eyes and couldn't find a trace of that headstrong boy I'd met in our first year.

"I guess detention with Umbridge is just taking it out of me. I don't get much sleep anymore."

"What do you mean you aren't getting sleep? Has she been making you stay up all night?"

"Not exactly..."

I walked beside him as we walked during free period. I didn't know where he was planning on going but I wanted my confident Harry back.

"This isn't about Umbridge, is it? There's something you're not telling me."

He stopped and it was then I realized we were on course towards the Quidditch field. The wind whipped around us but he just met my eyes with his fearful ones. "I know you'd get mad but... Ron and I... We started a club, of sorts. We just wanted to learn actual defense against the dark arts. Please, I know you said not to get too involved and I won't but that doesn't mean everyone else should be left defenseless with only Umbridge's horrid instructions to save them."

"How do you manage a secret club with all the teacher's milling about?" A secret club, he kept that from me. It's dangerous, not to mention how he's fit to be a teacher but that's another issue entirely.

"We use this abandoned classroom off near the Hufflepuff common rooms. Not many teachers go there."

I nodded slowly and smacked him on the arm for good measure. Once I saw him wince, I felt bad but he deserved it. "You shouldn't be afraid to tell me things like that, and don't keep things from me when they put you in danger!"

"Hello pot, I'm kettle." He gave me a small smile and began walking towards the field some more.

"You sound like my father." I was relieved, our friendly banter was back and the more we walked he seemed to return to himself. Our situation wasn't great but you could always count on Harry not to stay down for too long.

Draco sat in a different seat today in Transfiguration. Instead of in the back, he sat in the aisle across from mine, across from the one Harry, Ron, and I sat in every day. The second row didn't entirely fit him, he looked way too brooding to be front and center but when he caught my eyes I'd get a cheerful smirk that seemed to fan the flame I had for him.

Not long after class started I figured out why he had the sudden change of heart about where he sat. An itch started in my calf, then spread up to my thigh. I tried to rub against the leg of my chair but to no avail. The itch just kept spreading upward, tingling and annoying. Finally, I reached down and began scratching when my hand encountered something moving. I just about screamed bloody murder but held my breath for a split second enough to look down and see a paper snake melt into a folded piece of paper in my hand.

 _Potion's brewing, I threw the hair in and it should be done by the time we get back tonight. When are you planning on executing this little plan of yours?_

The sooner we get Dumbledore back the better, I was so ready to return to the Hogwarts I knew and loved. I folded the sheet of paper and waved my wand over it, watching it shift into a cat, a feat that seemed impossible given the size of the paper I used but I shrugged and tried not to make it too obvious that I was watching the cute thing slink around the classroom and across the aisle.

 _Tonight._

"Are you insane, why tonight? We haven't even ironed out all the details."

"What details are there to iron out?" I bunched my hair up into a bun as I strode towards the cauldron in the living room.

"Like how are we going to explain where you went? What if you run into Umbridge?"

"First of all, who would be looking for me at this time of night? Not to mention they wouldn't know to come here to look for me. Secondly, I'll stay away from her office and try to make this as quick as I can but this whole plan would be for nothing if I don't go before everyone turns in for the night. There's not much dinner time left."

"That's my point, if something goes awry and Umbridge notices Crabbe is missing she might get suspicious, especially if you're not there as well."

"Well do you have any other ideas?!"

I scooped some of the Polyjuice into a small jar and drank it, waiting for a while but frowning when I didn't feel any different. "Are you sure you brewed this right?"

Draco rolled his eyes and took the half-full jar from me. "I have a better potions grade then you, of course I did this right. It's the easiest potion around."

He drank the rest, waiting before gripping the jar tighter, his appearance changing. He grew shorter, his hair grew out and changed color and before I knew it I was staring at... me.


	21. Record Time

"Are you kidding me?! How could you possibly get your own hair mistaken for Umbridge's?!" I... He... Draco yelled at me.

I just stared wide-eyed at the angry and frustrated expression on my face. I couldn't hold back the giggles that turned to hysterical laughter.

"This isn't funny, not only do we no longer have a plan but now I'm stuck as you for the next eight hours!"

When I sobered up I touched his hair, the scraggly brown locks didn't look so bad when displayed around my shoulders like that. Then it hit me.

"We've been doing this all wrong! We don't need Umbridge at all!" I rushed into our bedroom and scoured his stuff, going over to his pillow and snagging a single strand of short platinum hair. I rushed back over to the cauldron and dropped it in. Drinking it while he watched me confused.

"How does turning into me help anyone? Why didn't you just change me back?!"

"I need to be the one to question him, I wanna see if I can get him to tell you exactly what he agreed to with Umbridge. You'd probably just kill him." I stared at my new vantage point, I looked so tiny compared to this new height, I always thought Draco was only a head taller than me but geez. _At least I still have some growing to do_ , I soothed myself as I looked at the top of my head and smiled gleefully.

"Okay if you're going to pass as me then you can smile like that, and stand up straight! Why couldn't I have convinced Crabbe to spill his guts? I can be... gentle."

I shot a look at the clock and my eyes grew wide, "Not enough time I gotta go!" I rushed out of the door, leaving his huffing face behind me as I raced downstairs and thankfully avoided teachers enough to get to the main hall.

Should I make my way to dinner? No, it's almost over, it'll look weird. Wait in the common room? I don't know the password!

Before I knew it, student flowed from the double doors some ways down from me. I strode in the direction of the Slytherin common rooms and leaned on a pillar, trying my best to look like I wasn't searching the crowd intently for one short, fat bloke.

I spotted Crabbe in the midst of a group of Slytherins, talking with Goyle and Parkinson and seemingly enjoying the spot of popularity he gained from doing something so horrid. _Remember to act like Draco..._

"Crabbe, got a minute?" The trio stopped while the rest of their group scurried off, either Draco was scarier than I thought or they really wanted to get to bed.

Crabbe looked like the color drained out of his face slightly, Goyle just seemed a bit scared and Pansy was looking at me like I was some sort of dessert placed upon a try in front of her. It was honestly a bit frightening, I tried to keep my air of nonchalance and swallowed.

"I don't remember asking for the two of you. Leave." _That's something he would say, right?_

"You've got some nerve, Drakey. Disappearing this week after coming on to me so much, no one likes a tease." Pansy pouted, putting her hands on her slim hips.

 _Coming on to her?_ "Not now, Parkinson. We can talk about your diluted fantasies some other time."

"How about tonight, you remember how to get into my room..." She slid a pointy finger down my chest and I couldn't suppress the shiver, it ran through my entire body and she took that as a good thing. Walking off with a sway in her hips as she dragged Goyle with her.

I was left alone with Crabbe who seemed like the last place he wanted to be was here but a glance around the open hallway told me this wasn't a good idea. "Come." Draco would expect him to follow so I tried not to look back as I walked further down an adjacent hall and stopped in front of the first door, opening it and peering into a broom closet. I ushered him in and stood with my back to the door, casting a silencing charm before meeting his eyes with what I hoped was a cold stare.

"L-listen Draco, I'm bloody sorry about what happened-" Crabbe started to spout, clearly buying this act I was putting on. I'm better at this than I thought.

"Then why'd you do it?"

"N-no one in our house cared that I did it, y-you know she was a mud-"

"I didn't ask you that." I stopped leaning against the door and stood up straight, looking down on his tiny, sad frame. "Why. Did. You. Do it?"

He opened his mouth before closing it slightly and scowling. "You shouldn't even care about her! You're a bloody Malfoy! I-it's only a matter of time before your father finds out and you know he will-"

I glared and gripped his shoulder tightly, watching him wince and almost enjoying it. "My family is, and never will be your concern. However, you're right, Crabbe." He looked up incredulously. "I am a Malfoy. That means I can and will crush anyone in my way and right now that includes your worthless hide. If you don't tell me what I want to know, I can make life here so difficult you'll wish I had used the Cruciatus Curse on you. All that popularity you seem to like so much will be a dream and you'll wake up in hell every day until graduation."

He eyes grew to the size of saucers. "U-Umbridge! She told me to! Sh-she said that if I cursed the mudblood I wouldn't get in trouble! I'd get an A in the class and..."

"And?"

"She said that my family would be safe when... When the Dark Lord came back."

I was awestruck, this woman couldn't promise that, could she? How would he come back? Harry made sure that if he did survive he wouldn't have the power to harm anyone... How would he come back?

I opened the closet and pushed Crabbe out wordlessly, he scampered off and disappeared behind the big painting of a well-dressed man. My mind whirled, sure I heard Lucius say something about the Dark Lord but even to be working for him didn't seem like much of a threat at the time. So, he did some meddling for him, but how would Hogwarts gain him his power back?"

I made my way back to the ROR and when I walked in I could hear the shower running. Draco must be... What?!

I rushed into the bathroom and watched through the glass door as a silhouette of my small frame stood underneath the hot spray. It looked like my hands were fondling my breasts and not in a way that spoke of simply cleaning my body. I pushed the glass door out of the way and watched as he/me jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"How long?"

"W-what? Hermione, I can-"

"How long did it take you to think of this stupid idea after I left?"

He looked everywhere but at me, not noting how his hands were still somewhere I very much wanted to punch him for. I sighed and closed the bathroom door, disrobing before opening it again and stepping into it behind him.

It felt strange to be the one behind him, especially when he looked back up at me and cringed when his eyes traveled down his own body. The awkwardness of the situation was laughable and I just couldn't help myself as I laughed so hard I had to sit on the shower floor to keep from toppling over.

Eventually, he joined me, sitting next to me on the shower floor, laughing at me holding my cramping stomach and stiff, pained cheeks. The loud and deep resounding laughter that filled the room only made me laugh worse and I was convinced I was about to die of joy in a body that wasn't even my own. This situation was so absurd!

Firm, soft lips pressed against mine and the laughter died, giving way to a soft moan as his kisses turned deep and searching. It had been so long since any intimacy existed between us. Everything that happened around us was too raw for me, even the internal chest I'd locked away with all thoughts of being cursed and the resulting loss rattled as we kissed and embraced in that tiny, wet space.

When we broke apart he only gave me an inch of space to breath, cupping my cheek and looking into my eyes.

"It's strange. I can see myself but the moment I look into your eyes I can see all those expressions and emotions as clearly as if they were on your face."

I reached up and tugged on his bottom lip softly. "Funny you say that, all I can see is me." I giggled a bit, more of a chuckle in his baritone voice but a soft girly sound nonetheless.

He yelped just before he could make a comment and soon after I was rushing to escape the cold rain showering over us. Picking up my robe and tying it around myself as I walked to our bedroom. The stupid cloth barely made it past the tops of my thighs and I felt woefully exposed as the air ran over my skin.

"If you even think about reaching for one of those nightgowns of yours I will kill you."

Draco sauntered past me and grabbed a pair of his silk pants, tossing them at me along with his boxers as he rummaged through my drawers. Finally holding up an emerald green bra set that I only remember wearing the Christmas before my first year at Hogwarts, where the color became a whole new symbol of its own.

"You've been holding out on me."

I rolled my eyes as I got under the sheets and closed my eyes, trying to pretend I wasn't watching and shooting daggers at him when he had a little too much fun putting clothes on. When he got in bed I had to object.

"I would never sleep like that!"

"Well, you should. Maybe then you wouldn't feel the need to kick all the cover off in your sleep."

He hugged me around my waist and I tried not to laugh, focusing on my annoyance rather than the absurdity of the situation.

Before I could fall asleep he just had to ask. "So, does that mean you have no curiosities about my body? I'm hurt, Granger."

"Shut your trap, Malfoy. I don't even know what to... You know what just go to bed."

Come morning I opened my eyes sleepily and turned over, burrowing my face into his neck and shifting closer to him. His arms clasped around me and I opened my eyes, smiling up at his satisfied smirk. He really was a beautiful beast, for a Slytherin of course.

"Um, love the new look." He started to chuckle as he stretched his lithe frame.

The pants he'd given me to where dangling off my hips and I was topless, quickly covering my chest with a sheet and shooting him a glare until I looked at him and begun giggling to myself. "You don't look so bad yourself."

His eyebrows shot up and he ran to the bathroom, letting out a string of expletives as my bra and underwear went flying across the expanse of the living room.

When I was tying my bushy hair up into a ponytail he hugged my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. "Did you get what we needed last night?"

"Yup!" I turned and punched him in the arm. "What did Parkinson mean by you know how to get into her room?!"

"Ow! Bloody hell woman! What?!"

"Crabbe told me everything, more than enough to get someone at the Ministry to believe us and bring our headmaster back."

I walked out of the room with my bag slung over my shoulder, patting Bailey and Olive on the way out and playfully ignoring Draco as he raced after me.

"Good morning, Harry. Good morning, Ron." I sat beside Ron and tried in vain to teach Ron some sort of table etiquette.

"Morning, Hermione." Harry seemed to be in good spirits himself and I noticed Ginny sat not far from us today, she was just a few people down along with some other third-year friends. "I set up the, uh, meeting for tomorrow. That alright?"

"More than that, Harry." I plopped my bag on my left side and began to pick and choose things for breakfast.

"You're in an awfully good mood." Ron threw out between swallows of bacon.

"I guess I'm just ready for a change, you know? I'd rather not spend all of my time stressed, aren't you both the same?"

Harry nodded while Ron just shrugged and continued to eat, Weasley's...

"Can anyone tell me what the Blasting Curse does? Anyone?" Umbridge was using the classroom for once instead of having us perform for her sick amusement. Everything about her for her deeds to that shrill voice irritated me, today especially as she gave yet another lecture on offensive spells.

I reluctantly raised my hand when no one else would and she showed no interest in just resuming the pitiful lesson. "It causes whatever the caster points at to explode."

"Yes, Miss Granger but I do wish that you would learn to wait to be called on instead of simply blurting out the answer. Terribly uncivilized."

Without raising my hand, I felt something in me stretch and snap. "When will we learn defensive spells? You know, since this is Defense Against the Dark Arts shouldn't we know some defensive spells?"

Her hand twitched but she stood unmoving, her face a hard mask as she slowly talked to me, as if I was a child. "Why don't you go spend some time with your beloved headmaster, Granger. I won't have you disrupting other students' learning."

I gathered my books and rushed out of the class, my blood boiling with no intention of seeing Snape for anything. He would never be my headmaster, even if we were on the same side for once.

I sat in the ROR, talking with Olive and Bailey as I spread various books around me and delved into the stories of the great wizarding war.

"Is this a normal occurrence for you? Ever since we've been here it's been nothing but strife for you and young Draco, except for the month you left us here." Olive sat by the fire, complaining about the temperature, not for the first time.

"I told you, I would've loved to take you but I was a bit preoccupied with other news. Besides, I left you both plenty of food and water." I skimmed another paragraph, stopping at the mention of Voldemort but eventually sighing and looking back up. "It wasn't like this at all, whenever something terrible happened Dumbledore or Harry were the ones to fix it, I was only counted on to help. Sure, things aren't always peaceful but that's why I read, to be in someone else's exciting life. Now I'm the exciting one and I feel... lost. What if this Order member chooses not to believe me?"

"That's why you spoke to the meanie that hurt you, wasn't it? And why you spent so long in front of the mirror without clothes on?" Bailey crawled onto the book I was reading and made her home in the valley between pages.

"I didn-" Draco, of course, he would stare at me before getting into the shower to violate me. "I intend to show them the recording I have but what if they don't bring Dumbledore back? It's been too long for us all to go without some semblance of normalcy and I'm afraid. If Voldemort is truly coming back then we've got a much bigger problem on our hands than some terrible old woman."

"My old owner used to say something along the lines of 'everything happens for a reason'. After all that has happened, wouldn't you believe the same?"

I looked between the both of them, so naïve and yet the epitome of what I want to protect. "After living in this room, having the both of you around, and being with Draco... I have no choice but to believe that I'm supposed to be here."

More skimming and a half a glass of water later, I was curling myself into a ball on the plush carpet, surrounded by books on the one person I'd hoped was just a nightmare for the past three years.


	22. Reasons

The darkest dream I've experienced by far. A deep, saturated red. Like a shade away from Burgundy, it was almost unnerving to be around the crackling red flames of the Room of Requirement's fireplace or the blood-soaked looking cobblestone. I felt compelled to go out, like I was lassoed and being dragged towards one direction. Everything about this dream felt wrong, my mouth felt dry and my stomach rolled with every floor I went down.

I left the school and took a look behind me, the hulking castle still stood as a black fortress against the blood moon but flames burst out of every window, fire and smoke engulfing the roof and working its way down. I clutched my head at the lancing pain before breaking into a run, the need to put distance between me and the burning place I thought of as my second home was the only thing rushing through my mind.

The grass felt like hot coals beneath my bare feet, the air whipped my air around furiously and my gown shuddered against my skin. The terrain changed from hot grass to warm wood, then to heated smooth tile.

I was standing in a room, a huge room with one singular long table. There must have been about twenty chairs all sitting around with one very distinctly at the head. I felt woefully exposed in my nightgown and wrapped my arms tightly around myself as I watched the dark hooded figures turn their heads towards the front in unison. It was like I was in one of those horror films my father loved to watch in the month of October. The head seat at the table hosted a thin figure, whose face was probably burned into my mind until the day I died.

"My, my, my. What a troublesome girl she's turned out to be for your family. Tell me, Lucius, how goes the process with the blood traitor?" His voiced dripped with honey laced with poison. It mimicked happiness but that monster couldn't possibly have feelings.

"He is beginning to wear down, he still tries to be resilient to the questioning but he is close to cracking. You shall soon have what you desire, my lord." Lucius, whose face and hair was clear to me now that he was looking up, seemed to be both detached and fully subservient. The blind devotion and faith I saw on his face was scary, it would probably unnerve Draco to see his father like this...

"It is always the difficult ones that are the most fun to play with. Tell me, how much longer until our beloved Draco comes of age?" The question that had me objecting seemed nothing more than a nuisance to Lucius.

"A few months, my lord. After the school year's ended."

"I expect great things from him, he will be instrumental in the takeover of the weak-minded. For now, I want updates on the status of Hogwarts, the blood traitor will tell me where the wand is and when he does..." A blood-curdling smile lit his face, the jagged teeth showing and a menacing chuckle escaping his mouth.

The cloaked figures seemed to laugh as well, an uneasy laughter settled on the room and I couldn't take it anymore. The more I tried to yell, nothing happened, my voice was gone and nothing more than puffs of air escaped my throat. Everything was too hot; the room was becoming a sauna and flames licked at the edges of my vision. I turned and pushed open the double doors of the large room and was only met with a grassy hill.

Screams could be heard from every direction, bouncing off the trees and I crept closer to look out over the hill, wary of what I would see. It was a nightmare.

The grass below and what looked like tents were on fire. Hellish red flames sprouted everywhere, a looming round building was in the background, a stadium perhaps? So many people were running and others were fighting the same cloaked figures I was looking at a moment ago. Bodies began to litter the grass. I couldn't tell the color of blood from the dark grass and I felt myself collapse, the pains in my stomach finally manifesting themselves until I just threw up in the grass beside me. I retched for a while, emptying everything before looking up in time to see a shot of fire coming towards me.

My eyes snapped open. I was shaking, violently... No, wait, I was being shaken. Draco's hand gripped my shoulder tight enough to bruise and I could hear water running from somewhere.

He was running a wet cloth over my forehead. Both mumbling to himself and yelling. "What happened?! Tell me what's wrong!"

I tried to sit up but his hand kept me rooted to the ground. "I had a... a nightmare."

His eyes drew together and he laid me across his lap, still running the wet towel over my face. "You're sweating. I came looking for you when lunch came and you didn't show up. I was worried that after your outburst in class, Snape might've done something. I found you in here sleeping and came to wake you but no matter how much I shook you or called your name you didn't wake up. What happened?"

"Th-the school was on fire. I ran and before I knew it I was in this room, there were people wearing cloaks. They were silent and there were only two people I could make out." I watched his concerned face and stroked his cheek. "Voldemort was sitting at the head and... your father was next to him. They were talking about Dumbledore, they're torturing him, looking for something. Voldemort... He asked about you, he wants you to follow him. Th-then I was on a-"

He put his finger on my lips, his expression pained and he hugged me tightly to his chest. I hugged him just as hard, everything was so much more real when I was faced with the possibility of everything being gone. My other dreams were always spot on, guiding me towards what I thought I was supposed to do. This one... This one couldn't be happening, everything we were doing now had to have a purpose! Why, after all we were trying to do, why would he burn everything anyway?!

My breathing was harsh and I could feel the sweat and cold water that covered my body now, the heat from my dream seemed to follow me and everything was much too hot. The clothes under my robes clung to me and all I wanted was a hot shower and to be told that everything was a lie, that I was in some sort of dream where I could have more dreams.

Draco lifted me and sat me down on the couch, warning me to stay put despite my objections that I was perfectly capable of walking. The water in the bathroom turned off before another faucet was turned on, he moved about the room efficiently, his long button-up sleeved rolled up as he carried things to and from the bathroom.

When he came back to the living room and scooped me up into his arms I wasn't as sure that I could make it there on my own. My body felt stiff and my bones felt like they were rattling inside me. He sat me down and unzipped my robe, pulling my hands through the holes and through my shirt, stripping me before sitting me down inside the tub. He washed my hair and my back wordlessly, and I thought for about the second time ever that Draco Malfoy would make a wonderful father.

"I think you're a seer, actually I know you are."

By the time the water from the tub loosened my body, he'd gotten me out and dried before handing me a bra and underwear. Watching and nodding as I slipped them on, instead of handing me a nightgown he just lead me to bed and sat on the side by my legs.

"A seer? That would make me the only seer to have lived in about three decades. I... I couldn't be, I would know if I was one."

"It's the only explanation I can think of for the dreams you've had, the colors may be unheard of but there's no mistaking that all of your dreams have been spot on thus far. You've heard and seen things in those dreams that no one should've known about. I think that's why the old man called us the two that need to do it. You would've seen it whether he talked to us about it or not." Draco rubbed my calf absent-mindedly, his face was so concentrated on whatever he was thinking it was almost like he was talking to himself.

"A seer... Then that's it. Everything we're doing is pointless."

His brows furrowed and he frowned. "What does that mean? You know we need Dumbledore back if Potter's going to know how to defeat-"

"I thought I knew that. What I saw in that... vision? I was standing on some sort of hill, below me there was nothing but burning and fighting. Those cloaked figures, death eaters, they fought innocent people and there was screaming and blood. People ran to get away but there was so much fire, the cloaked figures seemed like they were everywhere and in the sky... I could've sworn there was a snake wrapped around a skull on a staff..."

"The dark mark..."

"You've seen it?"

He nodded solemnly, "My father has it on this left arm, I asked him about it once and all he said was I would know when I was older."

We sat in silence, I stared at the ceiling and tried to memorize the grooves in it, tried to take in the warm and safe feeling this room gave to me. I had to admit that even to myself I sounded morbid but if I was going to be fighting for the rest of my life, or even dead, I wanted to remember these stolen moments. The ones where in this magical room I was able to have my annoyingly handsome prince and two wonderful children, even if Olive was decades older than me.

"This isn't for nothing, we can't just fold because we think we know what going to happen. Granger, there's got to be a reason Dumbledore wanted us to try and fix this, he seemed to bloody know everything so if it was all for nothing more than saving him from torture than let's do that. I may not like the man but I won't let you just give up. That's not who I fell for and that's not the little witch who fought with me for three years."

I sat up, curling my legs close to my chest and watching him. "What if we fail?"

"Then at least we went down fighting." He stood up and smirked, looking like himself as he stretched a hand out to me. "Will you fight with me, Granger?"

Could I? I wasn't too sure, of anything anymore. Would I? Always, always if it meant being with this cunning, irritating, and loveable Slytherin. I took his hand and he lifted me swiftly, pulling me into his chest and claimed my mouth.

I sat with Harry in the carriage, a bit nervous but not as much as he was.

"How do you know these guys are who they say they are? What if the whole Ministry is under his control?" He was nervously picking at his pants, looking around as the carriages carried us closer.

"It's going to be alright Harry, they're the only lead I've got and if anything feels off then I promise we'll leave and find some other way to get him back."

He nodded, taking a deep breath and letting Ron distract him with talk of their game in a few weeks. The Slytherin game against Ravenclaws had been postponed from Monday to Friday on account of a few student tests and a wrist injury from some fourth year Ravenclaw who went all out in a wand technique he was testing.

The ride to Hogsmeade seemed to take forever, twice as long as it normally did and when we were walking the streets clad with people and children my nerves were shot. We made our way to The Three Broomsticks and sat at a table in the corner, glancing around before Ron ordered some butterbeer for all of us, 'To relax'.

Two men, walked in moments later, one had short black hair and a medium build. We all stood, Ron being the one to say what we were all thinking. "What are you doing here, dad?!"


	23. Ron, The Genius

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of the Harry Potter universe or it's characters. All rights to J. K. Rowling!

"The Ministry has policies and procedures, surely you all know that. We assumed that Harry found out about the Order and wanted to join, not that you were all on some venture to get your old headmaster back." Arthur fussed as we all sat inside the dim pub.

Whilst Ron was less than ecstatic to have his father here and lecturing us all on proper etiquette and the consequences of lying, his presence next to the unknown gentleman who'd yet to say a word was comforting to me. The days that lead up to this were scary, I had built up this order member to be on Dumbledore's level of power and would scoff at the prospect of meeting with anyone other than Harry.

"Arthur, we honestly did have a good reason for wanting Dumbledore back." I pleaded.

"Oh? What would warrant us setting him loose on students after what he's done?"

"What he's done? He's been nothing but a wonderful mentor to Harry and a respected wizard. How could you believe anything different of him?" I argued.

"Listen, I know as well as anyone how much you children loved him, but there are some things that you are just not ready to learn." Arthur gave us a simple shrug with a 'what-can-you-do' look on his face.

"Arthur-" I didn't want to know what kind of vile lie the Dark Lord or Lucius had made up about that thoughtful man we'd all come to think of as nothing less than a friend. How could I get them to listen?

"Dad. Please." Ron spoke up, lifting his head from the mug in front of him. "You know us, do you honestly think we would go through all the trouble to contact some kind of stranger just to get Dumbledore back? If this wasn't something important why wouldn't we just owl you, complain like how I used to when you and mum would send me those notes about taking care of Ginny? We need you to listen... I need you to listen, alright?"

Harry and I shared a glance, throughout all of this Ron had seemed kind of nonchalant. Sure, he hated Umbridge like the rest of us but we thought he recognized that this was just something Harry and I had to do. Then again, there's never been a time in our three almost a complete four years together that didn't need all of us at some point.

Arthur watched his son, before turning to us all and nodding, signaling that the floor was ours. I patted Harry's hand, he grabbed mine and smiled encouragingly. Here goes nothing...

"I may have some slight proof that whatever you were told about Dumbledore is the work of you-know-who..." With that I launched into my sordid tale, trying to capture everything and even the dreams I'd been having. There was only one thing I couldn't bear to tell them so I glossed over my pregnancy, feigning sickness. "I think Umbridge is working with Lucius, who is under the Dark Lord's control. There's something Dumbledore has that they want so they made up some story to get him out of Hogwarts but they needed someone of theirs to be there to look for it in case it was hidden somewhere in the castle."

I sucked in a deep breath after the word vomit I had managed to let out. I looked at the shared look between Arthur and the man sitting next to him. They were visibly calm, looking at each other before turning back to me, well as much as they could while including Harry and Ron, before the man finally spoke.

"Forgive my rudeness, I realize it's terrible manners to not introduce oneself before conversing with new friends. My name is Lupin, Remus Lupin. I work with Arthur at the Ministry as part of Internal Affairs and investigation department. I'm sure you all care more about my status as a member of the reconstituted Order of the Pheonix." He gave a friendly smile, lingering on Harry's steady gaze before continuing. "While I cared greatly for Albus, a long-time friend and part of the Order, I can't simply take the words of children. I know that you're not exactly small but you can understand why a grave accusation like this is worrying, can you not?"

"I... I can understand. I know it's not something to take lightly and I know it sounds... Unbelievable but after all you've heard wouldn't you both agree that the risks of keeping Dumbledore versus letting him go is a bit too weighted? If I'm right, which I can assure you I am, then allowing you-know-who to enact his plan could spell disaster for the entire world, wizarding or not." I begged. They had to listen, if they didn't then everything will be for nothing. My visions, even if everything burned then at least we could say we tried...

The men looked at each other again before turning back to us. It was Arthur who looked at all of us gravely. "I've known you all since you were little if this is how you feel then I believe you. What did you have in mind?"

This was one thing that finally felt familiar to me. Progress, sweet progress.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

As the three of us walked through the halls I found a smile tugging at the edges of my mouth. This is how things should be, with the exception of a handsome boy standing next to me. I wonder where he is, I haven't seen him all day.

Knowing we weren't alone in this anymore was beyond comforting. Harry assured me that the plan we'd discussed before heading back would work. That everything would turn out all right as long as we believed in each other.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

"If we can stop whatever He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is planning then we can't go into this blind. If it is how you say it is then not only will this derail him but it will stir up the Ministry. Others will wonder if it is even safe to conduct business if not only one but two sympathizers were found among us. Not to mention how close Umbridge is to the Minister himself, she's his aid and if she turns out to be untrustworthy it will smear the reputation of the entire Ministry." Arthur fussed with his hands and moved the more he thought about this. I knew he didn't care about the ministry more than justice but the thought of leaving so many people without a body of government to look towards was a chilling thought.

Mr. Lupin sat with his chin in his hand, looking between all of us and nodding dutifully at Arthur's rambling. "Once again, you're right, Arthur. However, if we can handle things efficiently enough then the Ministry will have sufficient time to come up with something to distract the media. Our real quarrel is the fact that throwing a wrench into 'His' plans may be a step in the right direction, but might be met with even bigger consequences. If he figures out that we've thwarted him he might exact revenge on any group of random, innocent wizards."

"Why can't we just arrest Mr. Malfoy and Umbridge and have Dumbledore protect the school again. We all know 'You-know-who' wouldn't cross him face-to-face." Ron tossed out.

"Well even if we did have that, which we will, it's not a guaranteed way of making sure that he doesn't just find another way to carry out some plan of his to become stronger." Harry answered, I patted his arm this time. I certainly never envied the weight he carried on his shoulders. Just the mention of Voldemort's name and it seemed like Harry was supposed to be this big solution.

"What if instead of arresting both Mr. Malfoy and Umbridge, we were to simply arrest one of them. We make it seem like it's something completely unrelated to treason and we have the Ministry secretly monitor the other one. We could even use them to find where their hideout is!" Ron's epiphany left a bit of attention on us at his outburst. After he sunk down in his chair with a swift 'sorry', I thought about it.

"That plan's so... genius." I marveled. Before the older gentlemen could object I tossed out, "It's not ideal to leave even one member of his team out on the streets but if we do it Ron's way then he'll have no choice but to believe that it was either a terrible coincidence or that we're clueless to the other member. Either way, if he thinks we're just helplessly lost to whoever is on the inside then he might be inclined to use them more and that's when we get the chance to take him down for good."

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

I chewed the bits of salad as I thought about it all. In just a few short weeks our first hurdle would be over. I can't help but be terrified at the thought of what comes after this. Just when is the other shoe going to drop? When does everything I thought we'd worked for, everything we'd come to love so dearly, all just go away in a pillar of smoke and ashes?

I was glad Harry was chatting it up to Ron about the upcoming game of Quidditch. I may not have cared for the game before but now it sounded like a chorus of harps in the wake of nothing but worry. Everything wasn't fine yet, nothing was set in stone and it felt like I was on a rope bridge with old wooden boards.

As I looked around and tried to actively engage in the meal my insides were a balancing act. The fact that I couldn't immediately spot Draco almost unnerved me enough to send me into an emotional tailspin. When I caught a glimpse of the blonde head bobbing as he talked animatedly with Blaise I felt myself loosen a bit further. There was nothing to panic about, not yet.

That infuriating bell system rang out and just like trained puppies everyone stood up, abandoned whatever they might've been eating and hurried for the doors. No excessive chatter, just low voices, and shuffling. Ron and Harry gestured towards the common room as if to say 'are you coming?' But I just shook my head and veered off towards the moving stairs. Everything seemed so surreal I almost forgot to check if any teacher had spotted me. I glanced around as I entered my sanctuary. Sitting on the couch and just staring into space.

So much heartache and trouble were compacted into eight long months. It felt nearly impossible to believe it was almost over. I just had to wait, accept that my role in all of this was finished and I could rely on someone else to take over. It felt incomplete, wrong in a way. Part of me wanted to argue that I couldn't just wait. I had to do something that wasn't just sitting back and waiting. The last thing I wanted was more trouble but this end seemed almost, unfulfilling.

Usually cold hands gripped my shoulders gently and Draco lowered me into his lap, waiting a moment before asking me the much-anticipated question.

"So, how'd it go?"

Better than expected. I thought I was going to be shot down and called a crazy person. I thought I was going to have to sit in front of a complete stranger and try to have them understand that this new way of living in the castle wasn't a life. At the worst possible outcome, I thought I was going to have to open that constantly rattling chest in the back of my mind and talk about the precious child I'd lost that even my best friends didn't even know existed. And if he still didn't believe me? I thought I would have to come back here, empty-handed, and put on a brave face as we sat back at nearly square one.

"Fine. They believed me."


	24. Crushing Emotion

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Harry Potter or its characters. All rights to J. K. Rowling!

The day of the Quidditch game I didn't think I could bring myself out of bed. Classes only provided a momentary distraction and the way every professor danced around certain subjects or made rudimentary pairs for simple assignments made going bittersweet.

Draco had long since left for early practice and to change into his gear, not that he wasn't excited. I knew he sensed how much everything was starting to weigh on me. From the moment I woke up and turned over instead of greeting him, he'd made the extra effort to comfort me. He set aside my robes when I was in the shower and guided me to breakfast, hugging me to his side. Before he left with the rest of his team he made sure to tell me he loved me and kissed me.

I hated the fact that I could sense something wasn't right. I hated how I couldn't just be like Harry and Ron and trust in others to get it done. I worried, I worried over everything.

I followed Harry, Ron, and Ginny towards one of the many Gryffindor stands. They each chatted happily over the good seats we'd gotten and Ginny saddled up next to me, throwing me a small smile that I tried to return.

"Come on, Hermione. Quidditch is actually really fun if you think about it. I know that hearing about it day in and day out may be a bit much but you have to admit it can be a pretty exhilarating sport to watch. Don't you remember how exciting it was to watch Harry in his first game as a seeker?"

My smile turned a bit less forced at the memory. "Honestly, I suppose I don't hate it. It's better than the ones my dad fancies. Not to mention seeing them happy is good enough." I know Ginny could sense how off I was, and I was grateful that if she had guessed it wasn't Quidditch related, she at least kept her suspicions to herself.

"Then smile, and while you're at it why don't you help me cheer for Ravenclaw?"

You could always count on a Weasley, couldn't you?

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

The days started to blur together, I could remember doing things like going to class, petting Olive, and sitting with Draco. The unpleasantries with Umbridge never ceased but at the very least she wasn't out to kill me.

When the day came I was a confused mess of excitement, relief, and fear. The fear took the forefront and I spent all day dropping books, quills, and my wand occasionally. My nerves were shot, thinking any moment our plan was going to go into effect and the gears I'd wound up so tight would burst.

When lunchtime came and went, my fifth class was the same. I began to get worried. There was no sign of anything happening. My mind flashed back to what Mr. Lupin had said.

"We will take care of arresting Lucius Malfoy; you children need not see us arrest someone who would potentially fight back. When that's been handled we will bring Albus back to the school and tell Umbridge the Minister is in ruin without her. If all goes well it should be done by days end."

I barely registered that my breathing had become uneven until Harry took my hand during dinner, squeezing it and steadying my bouncing knee. He smiled at me reassuringly but I just couldn't bear the uncertainty. I'd had no visions or dreams, whatever was wrong with me left me entirely on my own to handle it.

When dinner came to pass Harry pulled me up, keeping a firm grasp of my hand as we left the great hall. "How can you be so calm about this, Harry? What if something happened?" My breath left me in a rushed sentence, I was afraid he didn't even hear me over the murmuring of the others surrounding us.

"I trust Arthur, and more importantly I trust Dumbledore. If he says you can handle it then I believe you can. I think you did everything he wanted you to, Hermione."

I knew I was chewing on my lip too roughly but I didn't expect for it to be yanked out forcefully by a pair of adept fingers. Draco nodded silently to Harry and took my hand in his, taking me back to our room. Taking me home.

"Do you think it's over?" I asked while I brushed my hair, we sat on the couch because I was still too restless. Being around him when I hadn't even told him it was his father getting arrested made it even worse.

"I think we've done everything short of locking Umbridge away somewhere and breaking Dumbledore out of prison." He lounged on the couch, stretching his legs while Bailey curled up in his lap.

"Part of me wishes that we'd had a chance to have a normal year, that this business with Umbridge never happened."

"And the other part?"

I sighed heavily, putting down the brush. "The other part wishes that we weren't the ones to have to save him. I would endure Umbridge if it meant being with you... Keeping our..."

Why couldn't I ever bring myself to say it? I said that once this was all over I would mourn but it felt like a sin to even say the word, to even think it would break the hold I was holding on it. Part of it still felt like a dream. I couldn't have had a...

I went to bed that night, a sinking feeling in my gut like never before.

In the morning I felt just the same, I saw the look on Draco's face. He felt so frustrated, maybe at me for acting like a complete zombie.

We made our way to the great hall, at this point I didn't care what teacher caught me walking down from the seventh floor. A month to go before summer came and I didn't have to face this reoccurring nightmare anymore. I shuffled through the huge doors, my head throbbing from a headache and my eyes downcast. I can't believe I failed at the one thing I was supposed to do on my own.

"Hermione, look up, will you?" Draco had a laugh in his voice that had me looking at him until he impatiently gestured towards the front of the room. Where Dumbledore sat in his usual seat, smiling broadly.

His eyes were squinted but he was staring at me and Draco, the elation that filled my chest was too much. Too many emotions wanted to dominate my mind and I felt my knees buckle as I sobbed. Tears flowed down my cheeks, dripping onto my robes and Draco hoisted me up, carrying me bridal style out of the room and down the hall. I was too preoccupied to see where we were going.

I heard Madam Pomfrey voice float over to us. My eyes stung and my nose was running. Draco nudged my cheek with his nose and I looked over to see Harry and Ron in neighboring beds. Cuts and bruises adorned their faces but they still smiled and laughed at the mess of a face I was dealing with.

"W-what happened to you?" I stammered.

"Umbridge found out about our 'club', she laid into us until Dad showed up and ordered her back to the Ministry. Just like we planned, eh?" Ron was all smiles even though he had a huge bruise on his chest. Harry wasn't much different though.

"You did it, Hermione. Oh, I guess you helped too, Malfoy." Harry laughed.

"Haha. You're lucky my hands are in use, Potter."

"Or else what? Hermione's fine, put her down and show me what you got, Ferret."

They were joking, the usual insults meant to hurt each other weren't there. It was like they were longtime friends. While the vice grip on my heart didn't lessen and I still felt like I'd had a cannonball shot through it, it was a wondrous thing to see the people I loved getting along so fully.

Maybe all Draco needed was a group of people to stand by him, the real him.


	25. Epilogue

We rushed to pack for the Quidditch cup tournament. I couldn't believe how excited I was. As I tapped my foot waiting for the boys to come outside so we could leave with Arthur I reminisced about everything that had happened last year.

When summer of our fourth year hit I kissed Draco goodbye for the last time. When I got home Mum and Dad were devastated about the loss and insisted I go talk to someone. The therapist was nice and while I had to make up a lot of things to cover up the magical aspect of my life, having someone to talk over the loss was helpful. I was able to feel like a person again and not just a walking shell of grief.

Harry and Ron wrote me over the summer, asking if I was okay and telling me that there was plenty of room in the burrow for me if I need it. I tried to write to Draco but all the letters didn't seem to harbor a reply. I would've been worried about it, maybe even scared that something had happened if not for the one time his family owl came knocking at my window. He had a tiny piece of paper folded around his leg and cooed at me when I gave him a treat I reserved for Hedwig and the Weasley family owl. There was no note, just a toy from Bailey to Olive.

When our fifth year started I waited by the huge entranceway for him, watched as he took one look at me and averted his gaze. After a week of avoiding me, I'd gotten paired up with him in one of Snape's potion assignments and demanded he tell me why he was shutting me out. I got silence for a long time before he slid a small square of paper towards me and continued working wordlessly.

Not only was his demeanor downcast but the silence was unnerving, the only time I'd ever heard his voice since we'd come back was when I overheard his speaking with Crabbe and Goyle. He even talked to Crabbe like last year hadn't happened. I took my free period to read the note he left me in my dorm. I was sharing one with Ginny and a mousy girl named Eloise Midgen this year. No secret room to share with my, if he evens till was, boyfriend.

 _Hermione,_

 _I think the constant letters are annoying, I don't need a bloody letter for every day, you know? You're like my mum with the talk of love and the nagging. Yes, I'm fine, never better. No, don't come here it's unnecessary and a waste of time for you. It's great that you are getting some help._

 _I am very sorry but there are things that I must do, important wouldn't even begin to understand if I told you about it. You might miss me but it's over between us. No lying to ourselves into believing it would work. It was a foolish idea to think that someone like you and I could be together._

 _I'm sure you'll do that infuriating Gryffindor thing and not believe any part of this. That always was a bad habit. Trust me, I'm not sorry. I don't want to talk to you and from this day onward forget about us._

 _Draco_

He was right, I didn't believe it. It seemed like he'd had this written during summer but never sent it. Why would he do that? If he truly felt that way why wouldn't he send it immediately to keep us both from all the hassle? Why was his writing so stiff and formal like I was nothing but a stranger?

After everything we'd been through, everything he'd put me through. He thought he could just leave? That stupid stubborn git!

I'd cried as hard as I ever had after that. I tried to talk through it and only managed to change my heartbreak into anger. Draco and I were back to insults and snide remarks, his weren't playfully flirty in a disgusting way like they used to be. His were meant to hurt and hurt they did.

This trip to the Quidditch game, even if it was work for Ron's father, was supposed to be a nice change of pace over break. Harry and Ron watched my relationship with Draco turn sour and supported me through it. Now as we made our way to the portkey that would take us there I was all smiles, thankful for the distance away from that Slytherin and the excitement at spending a little more time with my loved ones.

I'm sure today was going to be magical.


	26. Author's Note

Thank you all for reading! You probably don't care to read the author's notes and usually, I would think it silly to write one but there were some things I wanted to say/ point out.

One of them being the fact that in no way was this supposed to be spot on similar to the Order of the Pheonix book. I know there are certain timeline details that don't exactly fit with my fanfic and that's alright. I did, however, try to be as accurate as I could and ended up looking up a lot of information so that it would be an immersive experience.

Also, I know that there are some last-minute typos in each chapter. I do run my chapters through a grammar and spelling check, first by reading it and them by using software but I realize that doesn't catch everything. No excuses, I should be on top of every part of my story and I'm so, so sorry to anyone this greatly annoyed. I just hate to re-read chapters four times looking for typos because then I get sick of the chapter itself.

If you asked me or are curious about what chapter is my favorite I'd have to say I absolutely loved chapter one, it was the chapter I was excited and inspired to write. I love introductions to books because everything's new and fresh and besides. I think it was some of my best writing.

Will there be a sequel/ follow up? I don't know. Right now, I think I need to take a minute to find some more inspiration and think of what I wanted out of this book and what I can do better for the next one. However, I am thinking I'm going to write a book based around Hermione and Draco but it's going to be a completely different story about them.

 **The most important thing I want to note is the** **Epilogue Letter**! The letter that Draco wrote to Hermione has a message in it that I had to work very hard to make because formatting is hard and terrible. If you look at the first word of every new line of text, you'll see what he really wanted Hermione to read! Some might catch this naturally and hats off to you if you do. If you don't then congrats on seeing it now!

Lastly, another little gem I've hidden is the fact that Hermione's dream was all in the colors of the Hogwarts houses. That was both a nice nod to the houses and also a meaningful thing. The colors going from yellow, blue, green, to red was to show the importance of the houses in her subconscious and also had a bit to do with how much she learned in each dream. The information she gained gradually got bigger with each dream and each color.


	27. Announcement Prologue

**Announcement** : Hey everyone! I know that a few people follow the story so I thought it best to write something here. I usually don't do any sort of announcements for this sort of thing but I realize that Draco and Hermione's story in _A Tail of A Lifetime_ isn't the happy kind of forever after I usually go for. I'm thinking about going back over it and even though it still holds a place in my heart I might feel the need to write a sequel for it to show what I think happens next for them.

With that in mind, I'm going to write a new story and even though it won't be a sequel it'll be a little more like the stories I prefer to read about them. This one will be purely for fun so progress might be a tad slow and I'm not really expecting a lot of people to like it since a lot didn't really care for this one.

 _ *******_ Anyways, I've taken up enough of your time! IF you're just curious about the prologue I've posted it's the start of my new story, reviews are appreciated but unnecessary. I hope you like it!

* * *

 _ **Prologue**_

Golden rays fell on to golden hair. Pollen? No, dust floated and spun in the early morning air, landing on anything and everything within the room. The young girl opened her eyes slowly, stretching with all the grace of a contented cat before throwing off the blankets to greet the day.

Uh, no. Actually, it was quite the opposite. Hermione woke to the jostling of her bed, courtesy of her mum. Once she was sure her brain had rattled around sufficiently she pried her eyes open. The blasted things seemed, stuck together!

Then there was the fumbling around until she'd finally made it to the bathroom, the hot water surprising her as she panicked. Her skin boiled as she adjusted the temperature, scrubbing and washing until she stood in her childhood room in a soft grey cotton towel.

She felt more human, more alert and alive, yet as she stole one last glance at her unmade bed and closed the door she felt longing. Not for the clothes carefully picked and laid out for her either.

Her luggage clumped and bumped its way down the stairs, greeting her father who sat on the couch reading the morning news and sipping from the mug she'd helped pick out four father's days ago.

"My little poppet? Late? Well now I've seen it all, haven't I?"

Her papa's salt and pepper hair were still larger than life, not bellying his mid-fifties age. Today's button-up shirt was arctic blue with large white stripes, the ivory buttons keeping his slender form tucked in.

As he sat the mug down on the coffee table, folding the paper and draping it over the arm of the couch carelessly, the cracks and pops of his limbs were clear.

"I was reading the book Gran sent me. It's a wonderful read! I..." She paused in her excitement, seeing the warm smile he had on his face that told her he was just teasing. "I couldn't put it down..."

"Now, now. Plenty of chatting can be done in the car!" Sarah Granger was a force to be reckoned with when she wanted to be. She bustled about the house, gathering and passing out coats as she headed for the door. "The day my girl is late for her train is the day they bury me six feet under! Isn't it, Wendell?"

Neither could argue with her, especially since she was already waltzing down the cobbled path away from their two-story home.

"Now remember, we want-"

"Owls every Sunday. I know, mum."

After six years of the routine, Hermione thought her parents wouldn't be subject to the same teary-eyed goodbye they'd had since her very first year at the school for witchcraft but alas. She gathered them both, squeezing their midsections as her father's rather large hand grasped her shoulder firmly and her mother's slender arms wrapped around her tightly.

The wrought iron train blew its golden whistle, almost a signal for her mum to let go so she could board it with the rest of her luggage.

The rows of seats never changed, only which car she was in. As sixth years they got the car closer to the front, same decorum really. She looked in various seats, seeing familiar faces but not the ones she was looking for.

Lovegood seemed as dreamy as ever, Chang just as bubbly, and Brown was... well as girly as ever it seemed.

Only this time the girl had her claws dug into one of Ron Weasley's biceps. It was clear from the look on the red-headed boy's face it was less than wanted.

With Harry and Ginny sitting uncomfortably across from them it was a wonder if Hermione was going to be able to sit before the train rounded its first bend. Harry's oceanic blue eyes met her along with Ginny's sparkling green ones, both overjoyed as if she were the answer to all their prayers.

"Morning all. I see your summers have treated you...well." There was no escaping the gaze of the boy-who-lived when it seemed to scream for her to do something about the open display of affection.

"Very, I'm a bit miffed you hadn't thought to come see us all but once then." Ginny visibly perked up, shuffling a tad closer to Harry to make the slim space between herself and the window clear.

"Summer is summer. Nothing at all like a year at Hogwarts." Harry, ever Dumbledore's cheerleader.

Ron tried to speak, the junk food crammed into every available space in his mouth making it hard. It didn't help that Lavender and all her giggling and playful fussing over how "adorable" Ron was when he ate nearly disgusted the other three Gryffindor's.

The rocking of the train was starting to nauseate Hermione, the constant swaying was keeping her off-kilter.

Ginny could tell the moment the older girl decided to leave, her eyes pleading the opposite. It was no use, by the time Ginny could even think of a topic that would keep her there she was already out of the car's door.

Even a slow perusal of the aisle told her the obvious, no space was available except for a seemingly empty car in the last row of the train.

The burgundy bookmark Hermione kept in her book laid beside her, the landscape of England's countryside rolling away with every second.


End file.
